Life Drabbles
by shattered-words
Summary: Many events change your life and make you who you are. Drabbles of various characters from 'Glimpses of Fire' 7th chapter up, 'Misconceptions' -Discontinued-
1. Chapter 1

"_**It's My Birthday and I'll Cry if I Want to…"  
**_**Author:** shattered-words

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, It'd be called _'Gaara'_. So, isn't it a shame that I don't own it? ("Sleep" belongs to My Chemical Romance.)

**Summary:** A birthday should be filled with cheer, not grief... (OC, no pairings)

**AN:** A short drabble I wrote. I will probably write several around random characters and will return to Eizan several times. I know, I should concentrate on GoF and writing more of GoD, but when I get distracted, writing something like this helps me. Hehe. Btw, the Harukaze in this one-shot and the one in GoF are NOT the same person! Anyway, please review this and my story! T-T (Revised, more will be written in later.)

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"_...Sometimes I see flames. And sometimes I see people that I love dying..."_

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_**August 31, 04:08 am**_

There was much commotion within the village and many voices that blended into a cacophony of noise so early in the morning. Many villagers were gathered around, but the girl sitting on the ground didn't even seem to hear or see them. Everything else was unimportant. Nothing else mattered anymore. She stifled a sob, and the tears were already streaking her pale, soot covered features as she continued to stare blankly at the ruins that had once been a house. Her family had lived and died within the structure.

A figure stopped behind her and she finally removed her gaze from the smoldering ruins and stared up at the man with tortured blood-rimmed eyes. "Ashikaga Arisa," he said quietly, coldly. "You will tell me what has happened." He was the Yondaime Kazekage, the leader of Sunagakure.

Arisa opened her mouth to speak and tell him how the fire had ravaged the house and snuffed out her family's lives. Her breath caught in her throat and her voice was reduced to wails that pierced the bright morning. "Oka-san, Tou-san...Eizan-nii-san," she whimpered, calling out to the family that was already beyond hearing. It should have been a happy day. Today should have been filled with happy memories, not tragedy! She couldn't stop crying.

She had turned five yesterday but her parents had not returned from their mission until late. They'd promised that today would be a special day. It might be the day after her birthday, but she'd have the celebration she should have received. Now that wasn't possible.

"Ashikaga Arisa!" the man snapped again, but immediately stepped away from her, noticing the red glow that surrounded her and the blast of fire based chakra that came from her. He was suddenly surrounded by five figures and he identified them as Oinin and a moment later the aura surrounding her ravaged the ground toward the crowd of civilians that cried out and fled in terror. "Restrain her!"

A Hunter darted forward and was immediately consumed within the chakra and his screams of agony joined the others. The other four elite ninja moved in formation and came at her from all sides. Two more perished in the attempt, but at last she was knocked unconscious. The two Hunter that remained were panting with the effort it took to get past the terrifying chakra.

"Bakemono!" someone cried from the crowd that had finally calmed after seeing that she was out cold.

"She should be killed!" another person yelled and it was soon joined with shouts of agreement. It was only a matter of time before they formed a mob that would surely kill the child lying unconscious on the ground, surrounded by the remaining Oinin. They started to move forward to follow through with their threats.

"Enough!" The crowd froze as they heard the Kazekage's raised voice. "No one will harm the child until I receive answers. Taichou!"

A Hunter appeared immediately besides the white robed figure. He wore a white porcelain mask with the Suna symbol on the forehead and his Hunter symbol that identified him as _'Kamikaze'_. "Hai, Kazekage-sama?"

He was kneeling on the ground with left knee and fist resting against the ground. He wore a long sleeved black shirt with the sleeves tucked into matching gloves that had a thin plate over the knuckles. Over the shirt he wore a beige armored vest that had compartments for weapons' storage. He had black pants with shin guards and donned black issue sandals that had minor modifications on the soles that allowed him to walk easily over sand without the use of chakra. It was the usual attire of the Suna Oinin.

"Take her into one of the interrogation cells and post a standard two man A-class guard over her," he instructed firmly. His eyes were harsh as they landed on the girl.

"As you command, Lord Kazekage," he responded and moved toward the girl. He bent down and lifted her easily and disappeared without any sound or smoke. The other remaining Hunter, whom was identified by the symbol of _'Harukaze'_ that was carved into his right cheek, bowed toward the Kazekage and vanished in the same fashion.

The two that had survived were from the strongest Hunter team within Suna, First Seat, but it wasn't the only one. Kamikaze was named thus because he was able to command the forces within Sand when the leader was indisposed and crush the enemy like a _'divine wind'_ from the gods. His team had adopted the names of the five seasons. Harukaze, Natsukaze, Akikaze, and Fuyukaze.

Yondaime Kazekage frowned as he turned his attention toward what remained of the house where two Jonin and one Chunin had perished and sighed._ 'How strong is this child?'_ he silently wondered. Another thing that concerned him was where the abilities had come from. _'Her mother, perhaps?'_

He didn't know much about Morisue Kiyomizu, but that she was related to the Erizawa and Itagaki within Suna. During the time that she came to live in the village, the Sandaime Kazekage had been in charge, so he hadn't known what kind of abilities she had. All he had on her were the mission briefings and a report of her entrance into the Chunin exam in Konoha.

The man turned and moved away from the ruined structure and those civilians that remained hastily parted to let him pass. A moment later, he had vanished much like his Hunters had. He had to interrogate the child, or else he wouldn't get any answers. The villagers were right, the girl was an Asura much like his son, and thus would be treated as one.-

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**Translations:  
****Kazekage:** wind shadow, leader of Sunagakure (village hidden within Sand)**  
Bakemono: **monster  
**Taichou:** team captain/leader**  
Kamikaze: **divine wind  
**Harukaze:** spring wind  
**Natsukaze:** summer wind  
**Akikaze:** autumn wind  
**Fuyukaze:** winter wind  
**Yondaime:** Fourth  
**Jonin:** high level ninja  
**Chunin:** average level ninja (Genin is before this, which means low level ninja)  
**Sandaime:** Third  
**Asura:** an enemy of the gods in Hindu mythology, a demon  
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_**End, It's My Birthday...**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Because He Loves Me  
**_**Author:** shattered-words

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, it'd be called _'Gaara'_. So, isn't it a shame that I don't own it? ("Never Too Late" belongs to Three Days Grace)

**Summary:** He said he loved me as he tore my life apart. He kissed my tears away as he spilled my blood... OC, no actual pairings, **dark**

**AN:** Wah! I didn't realize that I'd put the clean version on mediaminer! . Sorry about that. I originally had two versions, the clean and explicit version and the latter was supposed to be posted here. Then I went and posted the clean version on both and this site. Here is the updated version! Be warned though, this is the explicit version for a reason! If you are **underage**, please** don't** read this. **You have been warned!**

**WARNING: **_rape, suicide, violence, and strong graphic descriptions!_

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"_It's never too late.  
Even if I say it'll be alright.  
Still I hear you say you  
want to end your life.  
Now and again, we try  
to just stay alive..."_

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Erizawa Miwako was a sight to any that happened to come into contact with her. Her shoulder length black hair was always pulled back into twin pigtails at the back of her head and her emerald eyes flashed mischievously every time she grinned. She had an almost never ending supply of energy and got into many rows with the boys in her class. Her parents scolded her and tried to get her to be more like a normal girl, and her older brother told her to be careful that she didn't hurt herself.

She loved her Aniki, a lot. Her sister, Naoki was nice but she was always too busy. And her younger brother, Keiichi, was too small to play with her yet. So, she only had Ryohei, which indulged her and trained her, but it was mostly playing around.

Miwako loved her brother, but there was someone that she loved even more. It was a secret since she wasn't supposed to feel such things toward this person. She had tried to express this to her mother one day and the woman had slapped her and claimed that her feelings were a sin. It was strange that she said that, since she knew that the love she felt didn't feel like a sin. The love she felt was completely real. However, the person she felt it for was her friend, Itagaki Akemi, a girl.

She hadn't told her nii-san about this since she was afraid that he'd react the same way and look at her with the same eyes that her mother had fixed her with. Miwako hated that look, but she couldn't help whom she fell in love with, could she?

There had been boys that she liked as well but what she felt for Akemi was stronger and almost frightening to her. She wanted to touch her just to feel her skin against her fingers. This was a strange thing for an eleven-year-old to feel (eleven years and eight months, but still eleven years old nonetheless).

Her mother had demanded that she quit hanging out with the Itagaki but she refused. Miwako had defied her by running away from home. It was the biggest mistake of her life.

The first place she had run was to Akemi's home, knowing only that she wanted to be with the other, taller girl. She'd knocked on the door but it hadn't been her standing there. "Is...Akemi-chan at home?" she asked hesitantly.

The older boy standing in front of her peered down at her smaller frame with a strange grin. She had sporadically seen him since she had met her friend and had hardly spoken with him. Miwako had caught him staring at her several times, and there was something in his eyes that scared her, and she saw it now. This was Akemi's older brother, Motoki. He was fifteen years old now and had already attained the rank of Chunin.

"Iie," he told her quietly. His voice had chilled her and she wanted to turn and run. "My parents and she have gone to visit relatives on the other side of Suna." He had dark brown hair like his sister and his bangs always seemed to hide his eyes from her. Motoki paused as he noticed her pack. "What is this?"

"I...wanted to talk with Akemi-chan," she muttered, taking a step back as she shouldered the pack quickly. If the girl was not here then there was no use in sticking around. He gave her the chills.

Motoki reached out and seized her by the arm. "Have you run away from home?" he asked her with a tilt of his head. His bangs parted and she was met with his eyes, and they seemed to peer into the very depths of her soul. She realized that he didn't have black eyes like Akemi, but were an intoxicating sea-green.

"I better go," she muttered, trying to pull her arm free. His grip was like iron and he easily pulled her inside from the darkened doorstep. There was no one out at this time of night that would see her being dragged into the house.

"Come in," he told her in an annoyed voice. "I hate talking in an open doorway where everyone can hear." He released her after he'd firmly closed and locked the door. Then he turned and made his way into the living room and it was almost like he knew that she'd follow after him.

Miwako glanced almost desperately toward the door but she found herself hurrying after him. She had no where else to go and besides, this was Akemi's older brother, not any stranger that wanted to take advantage of her.

"W...when are they coming back," she asked hesitantly as he plopped down on the couch. A shrug was all the answer he gave. She paused and thought about her next answer. "Would I be able to stay here, until Akemi-chan returns?"

Motoki leaned his head back against the couch and peered at her with eyes that seemed to taunt her. "Why did you run away from home?" he asked her instead. His tone indicated that he wanted the truth.

The younger girl was silent for several moments as she fidgeted in the door, not daring to step foot into the living room. Her shoes had been left at the entrance and her sock clad feet shuffled nervously. "My mother said I couldn't lo...play with Akemi anymore."

He didn't miss the slight change in words as his eyes narrowed. "What is my sister to you?" he asked next, his tone not wavering in the least.

Miwako was at a loss for words when he asked that and answered the safest thing. "She's my friend," she assured him, but a slight blush spread over her tanned features.

His lips pulled into a thin, bloodless line as his eyes narrowed dangerously. She could feel the anger rolling off him like waves and she stepped back in alarm. Then it was gone in the next second as she blinked in confusion. He stood and she would have backed away but he turned toward the opposite direction, where the stairs were located.

"You may stay but they will not return until tomorrow night," he told her and moved up the stairs without another word. When he'd gone she was still staring after him in puzzlement.

Her stomach took that moment to growl and she plopped down on the kitchen table and opened her pack to digest the bit of food she'd managed to take from her own home. She looked around at the almost impeccable kitchen and inviting living room. However, something was telling her to flee from the house this instant. Miwako would wish for many nights to come that she had heeded that advice.

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She had managed to find Akemi's bedroom and had relished the idea of sleeping in her bed and perhaps, borrowing some of her clothes. Of course she had brought her own but this was her one chance to wear the other girl's clothing to bed. It would almost be like lying wrapped up in Akemi.

A giggle escaped her lips as she stripped for a hot shower and emerged ten minutes later, unaware that she was being watched until she caught sight of Motoki standing in the doorway. He was casually leaning against the open door as if he belonged there, arms crossed over his chest and his face set in a blank expression.

Miwako squeaked in surprise and unconsciously pulled the nightgown down, which came to her knees. "Itagaki-san, you scared me," she gasped, trying to calm her heartbeat.

He tilted his head as if apologizing but no such words left his lips. "Call me Motoki," he told her with a smile that did not reach his eyes. She shivered and chalked it up to just having taken a shower. "You better dry your hair properly before going to bed. Don't want you to get sick."

With that statement he turned and left as he turned right and headed toward his own room. She sighed in relief and quickly rushed forward to close and lock the door. The small girl leaned against the wooden surface and took in a deep breath before moving back into the room.

She recovered the towel that had fallen when he'd startled her and started to quickly dry her hair since she really didn't want to get sick. When she was sure it was fairly dry, she flicked off the switch and slipped into the bed and under the soft covers.

Her eyes stared up at the darkened ceiling for several minutes but then sleep started to make her eyelids heavy before it finally claimed her. She slipped into the comforting darkness with a sigh and unconsciously rolled onto her side.

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The Erizawa didn't hear the door unlock and then open or the person creep silently inside. The weight of the bed shifted slightly and something heavy pressed against her body and limbs. Miwako was only vaguely aware as a face was pressed against her neck and a tongue sensually ran along her throat as she groaned.

The small girl was startled awake as a hand slipped up the night grown and touched her bare thigh. Her eyes snapped open and her mouth parted in a scream, but a hand clamped over it before she could. She locked emerald orbs on the person hovering over her, pressing her into the mattress and was shocked to see that it was Motoki.

Miwako struggled as he hushed her, whispering in her ear. "Shh, don't make a sound," he chastised in that cold voice. When he removed his hand, she obeyed as if she already knew what the consequences would be. She whimpered when he pushed the night gown up with one hand as the other parted her legs.

"Iie," she cried, trying to push him off but he growled and pressed her more firmly into the mattress. "Onegai, Motoki-san!" Her voice was almost a whisper as she pleaded.

Motoki chuckled as he let his lips press against her quivering ones and then met her scared emerald eyes. "Gomen," he muttered as he leaned toward her neck once more. He pressed his lips and sucked against the juncture between her throat and shoulder, feeling her racing pulse beneath. "I'm afraid, you tempt me too much."

The smaller girl shook her head and tried to wiggle from beneath him only to be painfully restrained. "Don't make me hurt your beautiful flesh," he warned as his sea-green eyes flashed dangerously.

Miwako shuddered as he continued his advances and she cried out as he pulled the night grown completely off. "Tomare, Motoki-san!" she sobbed, tears streaking her features.

He did stop and grasped her face within his hands, tears leaking past her lids to dampen his finger tips. "I can't stop," he said apologetically.

She moaned in pain as his hand pushed her leg further apart. "Dosh'te?" she asked, trying to deter him from his actions.

He paused again and lifted his head slightly, bangs falling into his mercilessly eyes and obscuring them in shadows so they looked sinister. "Because I love you," he told her, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Miwako's eyes widened in horror at his sudden declaration. "Iie," she muttered as she saw a grin spread over his features. She shook her head as he reached out to her and she desperately tried to pull away. "Iie!" His mouth sealed over hers once more.

"Akemi will not steal you from me," he muttered. "I won't let her." His fingers bit into the flesh of her face. "You will stay away from her, understood?"

The Erizawa shook her head and tried to get away. He held her in place once again as she screamed. Motoki merely chuckled at the sound that resounded off the walls of the darkened bedroom.

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Miwako lost track of how many times he defiled her and only remembered the pain and the strong scent of blood. She knew that he had torn her inside but she remained where she was, looking up at the ceiling in an unblinking stare as tears continued to trail down her face.

When he reached out to caress her face she didn't flinch away anymore and she felt his fingers bite into her features as he forced her to look at him. There was a kind smile on his lips that taunted her. "Poor Miwako-chan," he muttered quietly and sighed. "This is your fault you know."

A flicker of confusion registered in her grief ridden mind. _'It's...my fault?'_

The Itagaki male leaned forward and placed a butterfly kiss along her tear-stained cheek. "Hai, it's all your fault. For falling in love with my sister." His sea-green eyes darkened and she flinched when he reached out to restrain her wrists once more. "You stay away from her, or the next one to suffer will be Akemi."

Her emerald eyes widened as she watched him climb over her again, pressing her once more into the mattress. "Stay away from her, Miwako-chan," he purred as he raped her again.

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The child rushed into the restroom, ignoring her mother's questions because she wanted to know where she'd been all last night and most of the morning. She didn't hear her sister knocking on the door and asking her if anything was wrong. All she wanted to do was take a long hot shower and scrub herself until she felt clean again.

When she stepped out from under the spray she peered into the mirror with lifeless emerald orbs, her black hair falling in wet waves to her shoulders. The image of his hands pushing through those same strands made her flinch violently and she grabbed a pair of scissors from the drawer.

The first cut made her feel a bit better so she continued to cut, hacking at the hair until it was an uneven mess that barely brushed her ears. She was breathing hard as she looked at herself, dropping the scissors into the sink as she turned to the door, hearing her sister's worried voice.

Miwako had pulled on the robe before she opened it and Naoki was stunned at the sight that greeted her, their mother right behind her. She moved forward before the older woman could say anything. "I'll clean her up, Kaa-san," she muttered, noticing the look on her sister's pale features.

She closed the door and peered down at the girl but she refused to meet her stare. "What happened, Miwa-chan?" she muttered, guiding her to the shower to clean the clumps of hair that stuck to the sides of her face and neck. When she refused to answer she tried again. "Did you get into a fight with Akemi-san?"

Her younger sister flinched but said nothing. She had noticed the bruises that dotted her body but thought nothing of them since Miwako was a rowdy girl that got into fights with the boys all the time. The younger had always been the emotionally stronger of the two girls, so she was surprised when she lunged forward and wrapped her still dripping arms around her neck.

Naoki frowned but embraced her all the same, not caring that the shorter girl was naked and dripping wet so her clothing was getting soaked. "What happened, Miwako?" she asked once more. She shook her head and refused to answer.

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"Miwako-san?" Akemi called as she approached the smaller girl. She came to stop besides her and was confused as the other shrunk away. The clothes she was wearing were different than her normal ones as well. A long sleeved shirt with a high collar and pants. "Are you okay?" She reached out a hand to place on her shoulder.

The shorter Academy student flinched away from her and hurried ahead. Akemi was left stunned and quickly hurried to catch up to her. Usually, the other girl practically clung to her arm. She wondered what had changed over the weekend.

"Did you have a fight with your mother about your hair?" she asked, seeing that the long, black strands had been chopped unevenly to her ears. When the other didn't answer she became irritated and grabbed and forced her to look at her. "Talk to me, damn it!"

Miwako's eyes fastened onto her face as Akemi's bangs fell into her eyes and flinched before her lips pulled back into a snarl as her fist shot out to collide with her jaw. She froze in shock as she stared down at Akemi, who had tumbled to the ground since she hadn't been expecting the hit. "I..." she tried to speak but couldn't seem to finish. "Don't come near me!" She turned and fled toward the Academy building.

Akemi was both pissed and confused as she stood and rubbed her sore jaw, her eyes narrowed on the girl's fleeing back. "What the hell's going on?" she wondered out loud.

"Talking to yourself so early in the morning, little sister?" a voice interrupted. She whirled around and fixed her older brother with a glare. Akemi was already annoyed and having him tease her wouldn't improve her mood much.

"Shut up, Motoki," she growled, turned and stomped toward the Academy building.

Meanwhile, Itagaki Motoki watched the two girls retreat, seeing as Miwako glanced back. She caught sight of him as her eyes widened in fear and then scrambled inside. Akemi had seen this but didn't know where her gaze had been directed, confusing her more.

He chuckled as he turned and stuffed his hands into his pockets and headed toward the mission's building. It had been an eventful weekend and one he was sure his little fairy would remember for the rest of her life. After all, he'd shattered her innocence.

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Iwane gasped as she sat up in bed, covered in sweat and her shaking hands pushed back her shoulder length hair from her eyes. She paused as she glanced at the faded scars along her wrists and remembered well the day she'd tried to take her life. Everything else had been a blur but she clearly remembered seeing Akemi's face when she found her.

-  
_Her hand trembled as it held the kunai poised over her wrist but didn't lower it anymore as her blood pounded in her head. She was scared. Miwako wanted so badly to end it all. She fell against the wall and winced at the pain that surged through her battered body. The imagine of Motoki's cruel face came into her mind, grinning at her._

_One quick cut followed by another, and a sting of pain that companied the severing of the veins. A smile stretched over her face at how easy it had been. She slid down the wall of the alleyway as the warmth started to seep out of her._

"_What the hell?" someone gasped. She glanced at the person with sluggish movements. It was Akemi. Her face was contorted into a look of horror. It was one of the first times she'd seen emotion on her face and it was strange that the sight of this would be one of the causes._

"_Ak..." she tried to say her name, not remembering when had been the last time she_'_d said it. She missed her._

"_Baka!" she hissed and was at her side trying to stop the flow of blood. She wrapped her wrists tightly using her top shirt before she stood, but paused when she felt a tug on her shirt._

"_Did you know, how much I love you?" she muttered, her words slightly slurred. They were both twelve years old and would graduate from the Academy in another three or four months._

_Akemi frowned and gently laid her hand back beside her. "You__'__re hallucinating," she muttered. "It__'__s Akemi. Don__'__t move anymore!" She stood and ran out of the alleyway, hollering for a medic-nin. It was the first time she_'_d heard her scream._

_Miwako chuckled as she felt a chill creeping over her limbs and darkness over her sight. "Iie, Akemi-kun, I really do love you," she whispered as her eyes slid shut. "I don__'__t care if he loves me...I love you more."_

_She wasn__'__t aware when the other girl returned with a medical ninja, or saw her pale, stricken features as they lifted her and rushed her to the hospital.  
_-

Iwane covered her face with her hands and quietly wept in her silent, dark room. After several moments, she wiped her eyes and curled on her side, her face to the door. Her hand unconsciously gripped the kunai under her pillow and wondered for the hundredth time if she kept it there for protection or to one day finish the job she'd started when she was twelve. She had fallen into a dreamless sleep before she could figure out the answer.-

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_**End, Because He Loves Me**_

_There is nothing sinister about this One-shot, I only wished to reveal what happened to Iwane and why she tends to stray away from men and concentrate mostly on women. It also explains why Iwane was hostile toward Amane when she had clearly been in love with her since they were younger. In case the subtle hint didn't give it away, Motoki has the Morisue eyes like Iwane, but his are less advanced then hers. He also has the hearing but no one is supposed to know that (oops). That's all._

_**-shattered-words**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Returning on a Stormy Night  
**_**Author:** shattered-words

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, it'd be called _'__Gaara__'_. So, isn't it a shame that I don't own it? ("Endlessly, She Said" belongs to AFI)

**Summary:** Once every year I'll return to your side, and to the day and place where you died. Now here I am to bear my guilt and sorrow of this past year... (OC-centric, hints of certain pairing. **Warning:** Some spoilers for _"Glimpses of Darkness"_)

**AN:** This was a slightly harder drabble than usual since this particular character is harder to write than my others. She is so much more than she let's others see. This story is dedicated to any that have lost someone and feels that loving again can sometimes hurt.

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"_I will wait for you, she said, endlessly."_

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The figure jumped from one branch to another as they panted with the exertion. A stray beam of moonlight that cut through the foliage overhead illuminated the person to be a teenaged kunoichi with dark brown hair that looked black in this light. Her eyes were shrouded from view by her bangs that were falling over a Suna hitai-ate. It had been almost three days since she'd properly rested but if she slowed then she didn't think that she'd make it in time.

She paused after a moment and the moon's light fully illuminated her. There was a Chunin vest over her dark blue long sleeved shirt that had the Suna symbol stitched on the right forearm. Her black pants were loose on her and looked to have seen better days. On her back she had a back pack that had the necessary things that one would need for a mission, but she hadn't touched the rations or even had time to think of doing so.

Her body heaved with her breaths as she panted and tried to slow her racing pulse and when it had lower slightly, she took off once more. She was sprinting along a field now, dodging stray logs or holes in the ground without breaking her stride. After an hour she had entered into rocky terrain and knew she was now in Tsuchi no Kuni and slowed so as not to give herself away.

The figure paused as her ears picked up the sound of someone approaching and she ducked down in a hidden crevice of the cliff face that barely allowed her any room to move. She lessened her breathing and lowered her chakra as she waited with baited breath.

Three figures darted over where she was hiding in the darkness and she listened to their heartbeats and retreating footsteps until they had faded away. She waited almost five minutes after they had gone just to make sure she hadn't been sensed and moved on. If she was caught in a battle then she might be forced to retreat and there was no way that she'd ever make it on time.

It was nearing afternoon the next day when she recognized the land mark they'd erected before leaving. Not that anyone would know that it was since they had made it look like a kofun that if one looked right resembled gassho that pointed in the direction they had gone during the mission.

"Almost there," she muttered as she wiped a smug of dirt from her cheek. She didn't dare stop for more than half an hour to rest in enemy territory. After a quick look around where she listened intently for any sounds of life, she passed through the well hidden passage.

It was nearing night when she reached the narrow cliff face and she pressed herself against the wall and moved along. When she had neared a riff in the rock face, she paused and glanced the way she had come. She felt a jolt of fear rush over her suddenly but pushed it to the back of her mind and jumped.

She free fell for several liberating moments where all she heard was the wind in her ears and everything else faded from her mind. Her eyes snapped open as she reached out and let a flare of chakra flood from her that wouldn't be enough to be detected. She caught the rope before she hit the bottom, and she was grateful for her gloves or the rope would have burnt her skin raw.

With the help of the rope and her chakra, she landed with a resounding thud since she was tired and lifted her head and looked around the ravine carefully but it was untouched. She sighed and thanked Kami that no one had disturbed it as she moved toward the burial ground that contained no body, since they had burned it to preserve the village secrets.

"Akuro-kun," she whispered, as if afraid to disturb his slumber. "I've returned." She let her pack hit the ground and promptly collapsed where she stood. Amane had made it with a day to spare and let consciousness take her. It was almost like she knew that he'd protect her while she slept.

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Amane was startled awake close to noon when she heard the screech of what she could only guess was a buzzard and groaned as she sat up. She let her dirty fingers linger gently over the bump that had formed on her temple from when she had fainted. Her gaze lifted to the darkened sky and realized that there were several rain clouds obscuring the heavens as she sighed.

As she stood she stretched her sore limbs and lifted her pack before moving over to the shallow creek. She hesitated before kneeling, giving a silent prayer and then undressing to wash up. Not that it would matter soon since it was sure to start raining, but she wanted to be clean when she started to pay her respects.

Normally, a person did so within Suna at the memorial but she couldn't do that. She had to be here or her sorrow would eat away at her and affect her performance on missions until she snapped. It wouldn't be a pretty sight since she would lash out at anyone that approached her and she was mostly with her partner, Iwane.

She had been tempted to stay in Suna because of the situation with Eizan, but Iwane had urged her to go. It had been impossible for her to go last year because of the Chunin Exam and so had retreated into the forest the night after the first portion. She had said a silent prayer and relived memories of how Akuro had sacrificed his life to save hers. He had let go so she wouldn't fall with him.

Amane had been guilt ridden because she hadn't the courage to jump after him. He had died and she had lived and she'd hated herself more because of that. Then amidst her recollection she had been interrupted by the Hyuuga boy. He had taken one of her most prized possessions, the only thing that kept her connected in some short way to him.

The kunoichi approached the memorial as lightning split the sky and the rain came down. It was a few drops and then it turned into a down pour that quickly soaked her clothing. Her pack was taking shade in a fissure that was just high enough for her to reach.

She ignored the rain as if it weren't even there as she paused in front of the boulder and started the ritual of Oban. When she had finished the nearby creek had turned into a roaring river that would have been enough to wash her away if she stepped into it.

Night had fallen before she realized it and the rain continued its steady down pour and she knew that soon this small valley would be flooded. She was leaning against the boulder as she spoke quietly to it, her voice drowned out by the thunder but she knew that he'd be able to hear her.

"I wish I could stay here with you forever," she muttered, face in her hands as the guilt became almost too much for her to bear. Her hair was plastered to her face and the back of her neck, but she didn't care about that or the fact that her clothes were completely water logged.

"I don't want to return back there and to those feelings for _him_," she said next, voice muffled by her hands still covering her face. "I can just forget about everything and stay here." There was a sudden flash of lightning and the crash of thunder startled Amane and made her lift her head.

For the first time she noticed the state of the small valley and realized that it was flooding rapidly and soon there would be no way for her to escape. One thing that she had neglected to tell her teammates was that she was a horrible swimmer.

That was one thing that was true for most Suna children since they lived in a desert, but the Itagaki main estate had the luxury of having a pool. However, even if she had spent much of her younger life there, she had never gotten the hang of swimming and being the proud child that she was, had quit right away.

At the time she had wanted her older brother to teach her, as most girls that age were when wanting to be around their older siblings, but he had refused her. Motoki had been too absorbed in his own training to ever give her more than a fleeting glance. He had changed much after their first meeting with their grandfather. After all, he would be head of the Itagaki Ichizoku after their father.

Amane gasped as she stood and stared in a panic at the rising water but her eyes were brought to the stone. The Itagaki female wanted to remain there but another crash of thunder made her jump as her features tightened into determination. There was only one way to escape and she sighed, brought her hands in gassho and asked Akuro to forgive her.

She grabbed her pack, secured it onto her back and backed away as far as she could without falling into the raging river before sprinting toward the memorial. When she jumped, her foot connected with the top of the boulder and she bent her knee and propelled herself up as far as she could. A gasp left her as her hands grasped the edge of the cliff face for a second before her fingers gave way against the slick condition of the rock.

The valley was filling up fast and as she lost her grip she knew that she'd have no other chance at a running jump. She should have fallen but she felt her foot connect with something solid, and she used that as leverage to force herself up and grabbed a more firm grip. Using as much chakra as the wet surface would allow without slipping, she climbed up.

The Chunin could feel the rain beating down on her and the thunder drowned out the sound of her labored breathing as she struggled toward the top. When a fierce wind tore through the space between her body and the wall, she felt it tearing at her. She held onto the cliff face for dear life as she clenched her eyes shut. Her hands had torn on the jagged surface of the rocks, and the blood that had fallen onto her face had been washed away.

When the wind died down the slightest bit she took a deep breath and started to climb again as quickly as she dared. If the wind slammed into again the way it just had, she was sure that she'd lose her grip. She was almost to the top, but her hands were already battered and slipped every so often, and she didn't dare try to reach the blood clotting pills in her pack.

Amane felt her hand reach the top as the wind slammed into her the same instant the thunder resounded through the area and startled her. She felt her body being pulled away from the cliff face and the one handful of soil from the top was still clenched in her bloodied hand. Several images flashed through her mind as she felt herself falling.

-  
_**"**__**Hey, are you the Chunin that's going to be our fearless leader today?**__**"**__asked Iwane's arrogant voice. The young man looked up and both girls recognized him at once as he fixed an impish grin on his face._

"_**Itagaki-san, Erizawa-san, always a pleasure,**__**"**__ he said, trying to hold back his laughter at the expressions on their faces. His eyes lingered longer on Amane and his mouth softened slightly._

_Iwane lunged at him and latched onto the only guy she could stand to be around and he howled with laughter as she playfully attacked him. Eizan, who had watched with an expressionless face until then, let an amused smirk cross her features as she stood next to Amane._

_-_

_She felt his fingers ghost across her features moments before she pulled away and for the first time her face heated up in a blush. Amane tried to turn away but his hand caught her elbow and pulled her around once more. __**"**__**Why do you turn away from me?**__**"**_

"_**Don't touch me,**__**"**__ she hissed and tore her arm away. She saw his hurtful look and winced. __**"**__**I'm sorry.**__**"**__ The apology had come unbidden to her lips. Although she already knew how she felt, Amane had grown up without the privilege of touch or comfort._

_He reached out once more and pulled her against him and she remembered his confession the other day. The person that had stumbled over his own words didn't even resemble the one that held her now. __**"**__**Please don't pull away,**__**"**__ he pleaded as she squirmed in his hold. __**"**__**I love you.**__**"**_

_Amane felt her mouth open but she had no words to answer him with. He saved her the trouble as he leaned in and fastened his lips over hers. Everything else melted away and __**'I love you too'**__ lingered in the back of her mind, but she couldn't force the words out._

_-_

_She watched as he smiled and mouthed something to her and released her hand. Her eyes widened in horror as she felt him slip from her hold and he fell as his body was swallowed by the darkness. __**'I know.'**_

_Amane felt her mouth part to say something but only pain surged through her entire being as she screamed. She screamed her declaration over and over, but she knew that he couldn't hear her anymore. __**"I love you, Akuro!"**__  
_-

Something pushed her back against the cliff face and she felt herself slam into rock and she grabbed on before she could lose her grip again. She pulled herself up and when she was secure over the edge she fell onto her stomach and laid there for a moment before she rose to her knees.

Amane scrambled over to the edge and peered into the valley and the memorial. She caught sight of a figure sitting on top of the boulder as lightning lit up the sky and she saw his head tilted up as he peered at her. Then the light faded away and darkness filled the area once more. When the lightning came again she strained her eyes as she searched but there was nothing there.

The Itagaki collapsed and felt fatigue drag her into unconsciousness. _'Akuro...'_

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

She felt someone lift her into a sitting position at the same time that a warm blanket was wrapped around her body. Her eyes fluttered open for a few moments and she saw two figures looming over her. The thought that Iwa-nin had found her sent a flash of fear through her but their voices reached her ears as she relaxed.

"I'll need to change her out of these wet clothes. Go stand over there, Neji-kun," a voice snapped. One of the figures snorted but did as he was told and walked away. The hands were on her again, gentle and careful as they peeled the clothes from her cold body. "It's okay, Ame-kun. I'm here."

Amane felt relief flood her and a warmth envelop her heart. For a moment she forgot her grief and sorrow and allowed sleep to wrap around her as her eyes drifted shut. She was safe.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Even the generally exuberant Jonin was looking miserable in this weather as they trekked through Stone lands, taking every measure they could to ensure they weren't spotted by enemy ninja. Their clothes were all soaked and so their exploding tags would be useless. It was a risky mission, and the only reason they had accepted this mission was because the Kazekage himself had asked the Godaime for assistance, since Suna was short on ninja at the moment.

Tsunade agreed to give them aide since they had helped them greatly when Uchiha Sasuke had defected, and Akimichi Chouji and Hyuuga Neji had been severely injured. If it hadn't of been for the quick actions of the kunoichi from Sand, then the youths would have surely died.

One of the ninja that had helped them was the one they were going to assist and the other was keeping pace with their cell, with Neji and Lee flanking her. Tenten and Gai were taking the front since they were the ones that would react first if they were attacked from the front.

The Hyuuga and the Erizawa both had good sight, and although the Byukugan had a wider range, it didn't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes watching their backs. Then Lee would help as defensive if they were ambushed from behind.

As they arrived at the path that had a kofun, the leaf-nin were confused as Iwane crouched down and searched the ground and when she came back empty handed, she gave a nod. "She's been through here but hasn't yet returned." She shifted her weight nervously and felt the wet material of her clothes rub against her skin. "This path is hidden but anyone can see it if they look hard enough."

Iwane disappeared down the almost virtually hidden path and they hurried to catch up. However, it proved to be too narrow for Gai to pass through and Neji came back out when he hadn't followed and immediately saw the problem.

"Go ahead Neji and complete the mission with your fires of youth," he told him, but knew to keep his voice down. He gave a thumb up and even in the rain his teeth glinted with a resounding ping that could be heard over the sound of the thunder.

The Hyuuga refrained from answering and merely turned around and went through the well hidden crevice. They separated into twos and went in search of the kunoichi, and he paired up with the strangely silent Iwane.

They had been searching for almost ten minutes when the rain stopped and it was the emerald eyed ninja that spotted the figure beside the edge of the cliff first. He heard a small cry leave her lips as they sprinted in her direction. She crouched down beside her and quickly checked her over.

After a moment she sighed in relief and Neji finally saw her face soften from the unreadable expression into an emotion he couldn't quite identify. "Oh, thank Kami," she whispered and pushed the girl's hair out of her eyes, frowning slightly as she saw the bump on her head. Then she noticed her injured hands and her features twisted into what might have been anger before it was gone.

She ordered him to leave while she changed her clothes, and she gave a silent thanks to the gods that the extra set of clothes in her pack hadn't gotten soaked. Amane's eyes fluttered open and she soothed her quietly, knowing the other girl would be able to recognize her voice. "It's okay, Ame-kun. I'm here." She watched her drift off again and she sighed and finished dressing her.

Iwane chanced a look down into the valley and saw that it had completely flooded. She knew that if Amane had fallen in then she wouldn't have been able to make it out alive. "Thanks Ogata-kun," she muttered, knowing that he had kept her safe. She rested her head against Amane's shoulder and only lifted it when the Hyuuga approached. Shortly after, they met up with the rest of Neji's team and headed off.

Iwane carried the slightly taller girl on her back but refused to let anyone else carry her. The unreadable expression had gone from her face and now only determination to get her teammate home was seen. They respected her wish and let her carry the kunoichi.-

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o  
**Translations:  
kofun:** burial grounds  
**gassho:** praying hands  
**ichizoku:** clan  
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o  
_**End, Returning On A Stormy Night.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Purpose of Strength**_  
**Author:** shattered-words

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, it'd be called _'Gaara'_. So, isn't it a shame that I don't own it? (The quote below was said by Ghandi.)

**Summary:** In a strange village my sister got lost. As I searched for her, I saw an angel in a mortal's disguise and now he torments me, in more ways than one as he asks me the purpose of strength. (OC-centric, hints of certain pairing).

**AN:** A bit more insight into this elusive character. I hope you can understand him better with this story and the bond that started to form between him and another character. Hope you enjoy and please forgive the OOC, but they're younger here, so yeah.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"_True strength comes to those that fight, not for themselves, but for those who can__'__t._"

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He turned as a gasp escaped his lips and an instant glimpse of his attacker was all he saw before he succumbed to darkness. A blade of sunlight had cut through the branches and lit him up, and the silver strands of his hair glimmered so they were blinding. The Inu mask had shadows around the eyeholes yet he could feel his gaze piercing through his very soul. He wore black clothing and knew him to be ANBU. His image was branded into his memory forever as he felt his consciousness leave him.

His name was Ashikaga Eizan, as the records will state when they interrogated him. It will also state that he had no idea that where he was treading was forbidden for foreign ninja. All he had wanted was to take a walk. His memories of home, his parents and his younger sibling had been too much for him at the time.

Eizan was only thirteen and any would argue that he couldn't be blamed for being home sick, but he was ninja. Shinobi weren't supposed to let things like missing his family cloud his mind. He shouldn't want to see his sister's smiling face more than being part of the exam that would allow him to become a Chunin.

The appearance of the ANBU had been quite surprising and he had no time to react before he'd been knocked out. Of course he hadn't been killed since it would have aroused problems with the Kazekage if one of his Genin were killed. There were already very few Genin squads participating, and with one member dead they'd be unable to enter the exam.

He awoke groggy and with a pounding headache in darkness. Eizan remembered the ANBU and knew where he was as he groaned. That sound seemed to animate everything and a light came on above him as he blinked in rapid succession. He had already noticed that he couldn't move his arms and assumed they were bound. There was also something that prevented him from escaping from it, and it was mostly likely a chakra draining rope.

"State your name and rank," a voice growled at him from a darkened corner of the room. He strained his eyes to see but after a moment gave a sigh and slumped back, or as much as the rope would allow.

"Ashikaga Eizan. Suna Genin," he conceded, since he saw no harm in divulging the information. Honestly, he didn't see why they were going to all this trouble of trying to scare him. If they asked him nicely, in a bright room, and with his Jonin instructor present then this would go over much easier.

He was snapped out of his musings of how he had managed to get himself in this situation by a question from the interrogator, whose face he had yet to see. A growl left his lips as they asked him about the location of Sunagakure. They might have been allies but not even Konoha knew the exact location of the village that blended within the desert sands. "I already told you that I won't answer anything until my instructor comes," he snapped.

The man chuckled darkly and the sound of movement came and he screamed as he felt a weak electric jutsu shock his body. Now that was pushing it! "Son of a bi-aaaah!" He was cut off as the electric effects went through him again.

"Just answer our questions and the pain will go away," the low voice told him. "You think Suna will care about a single Genin going missing? They won't be suspicious when your body is found in a training ground after an "accident" during training."

Eizan felt the color drain from his face at that and lowered his head to think. They only wanted to know the location of Suna. Sure, he could divulge that information and no one would be the wiser.

'_But what if Konoha betrays Suna?'_ was his sudden thought. If that happened, they could be attacked by surprise and many innocents would be put in danger. His younger sister's face floated into his mind and he flinched before he pressed his lips into a thin line.

He lifted his gaze to where the voice was coming from and glared at the unidentified person. "I won't tell you anything," he growled. There was a pause from the person as they stepped closer but he only saw their legs before he stopped.

"All you have to do is give us the location of Suna, and you'll live," the man told him firmly, and with finality in his voice. He was wearing black pants and the customary sandals but it was too dark to tell what color they were.

Eizan gritted his teeth and clenched his bound hands. "I'd rather die," he told him firmly, gray eyes flashing with determination. He felt his heart speed up as he had said those words but knew that he would rather die than give away his loved one's location to them.

The man's hands clenched as he answered and he turned away. "So be it." The door opened and it blinded him as the man walked outside quickly. "Take him to a random training ground. You know what to do after that." The sound of footsteps leaving was heard as another figure entered the cell.

He gulped as he recognized the ANBU that had rendered him unconscious earlier today, or had that been yesterday? Eizan had no idea how long he'd been out before he came to. His team came to mind and wondered if they were looking for him, or if they believed him to still be training. The thought of his distraught parents and sister at learning of his death almost made him give in, but he steeled his resolve.

The ANBU moved toward him and he prepared himself and they faded from the cell in a swirl of leaves. He was panting in anticipation as they appeared and he stumbled back from him. The sun looked to be close to setting and it set the elite ninja's hair aflame so he was almost awed by the sight.

Eizan snapped out of it as he reminded himself that this person was here to kill him. This ANBU, whom didn't even look to be too much older than him, was going to end his existence as easily as one snuffed out a candle. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

The silver haired ninja tilted his head to the side at his words. "Do you really wish to die?" he asked him, voice muffled. He was most likely only a few years older than him.

"Of course not," he responded honestly. He was deathly afraid of dying and what might be waiting on the other end, but he wouldn't tell him anything. "But I will never betray my loved ones." His voice was firm despite the fear that laced it.

The ANBU nodded after a moment and stepped toward him as Eizan tensed. His hand reached out and smacked him on the back of the head as he stumbled in slight surprise. _'Is this part of my execution?'_ he wildly wondered, but he couldn't say that he knew for sure.

"Congratulations," the older ninja muttered and flicked out a scroll from his pouch. "Your sensei asked me to give you this. Ja." He turned and started to walk off.

Eizan took the scroll that had been shoved into his hands and stared dumbly at it for a moment. "M-Matte!" he called out to the elite ninja and watched as he paused. "What the hells' going on here?"

The Konoha-nin seemed to be debating with himself over what he should tell him and finally seemed to come to a decision. "I was ordered to kidnap and bring you to that room," he said simply, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

The Ashikaga male was confused by this. "What? By whom?" he demanded, feeling his irritation get the better of him. Inu shrugged and it irked him even more that the ANBU was so nonchalant by the kidnapping and interrogation he had just suffered through.

"Hokage-sama instructed me to bring you to that room by request of your Jonin sensei. Everything should be explained in that scroll I gave you." It looked like he wanted to stuff his hands into pockets he didn't have but the very idea seemed preposterous to Eizan.

"Ja ne!" he called out as he started to walk off and waved before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. Eizan was left staring dumbly at the place he had occupied for several moments before he remembered the scroll he had in his hands. It had started to rain as he carefully opened it as if it might explode or reach out and bite him.

The Genin felt his left eye twitch as he saw that it was indeed his sensei's handwriting. He carefully read what was written and by the end he wanted to strangle him.

'_Yatta! You've passed my little test and proven that you are ready to take the Chunin Exam. The other members of your squad have already been tested individually and they should pass. You are all competent ninja and I am very proud of you. Good work._

_PS: Please, don't try to kill me Eizan-kun, I was only doing my duty as your instructor! Mercy!_

_-Your Beloved Sensei'_

The teenage Genin growled and promptly tore the now damp scroll to pieces in a rabid fury, and then stomped the remains into the muddy ground for good measure. When he was done he was panting with the exertion and he took a moment to compose himself, although by that time he had gotten thoroughly soaked. He paused as he heard someone approaching and lifted his gaze from the mess he'd made.

One of his teammates was jogging toward him, his features set in a serious expression that unnerved Eizan but he forced the feeling down. He was shinobi and had to act accordingly. A few moments later the rain had started to come down harder, and he lost all military uniformity and tore out of the training ground.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Ashikaga Eizan marched out of the ryokan and into the night, and it was still drizzling slightly. A woman exited the building after him. "Eizan-kun!" she called to him.

The teenager paused but didn't turn to face her. "Don't try to stop me, Okaa-san," he almost growled. "I'm going to look for her, and no one will stop me." He bowed his head. "She went looking for me." Then he ran and disappeared into the darkness without another word.

Ashikaga Morisue Kiyomizu sighed as she watched her son go and sent up a silent prayer that he would find his younger sister unharmed. She turned around and went inside, and although she would have wanted nothing more than to search for Arisa as well, she had her own Genin squad to think of, and she risked getting in trouble by leaving them alone in a strange village.

'_Find her safely, Eizan-kun.'_

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

He blinked as he woke up and tried to remember what he'd been doing and where he was. It was still dark around him but not enough to disguise the fact that he was lying on the ground surrounded by trees. He must have collapsed while training last night, but there was something else that he was forgetting.

-  
_Eizan rushed inside the ryokan and saw his mother and father talking with his Jonin sensei. His anger at the man had faded when he'd been told that his sister had gone missing. "Tou-san, Okaa-san!" he called and saw as they lifted their heads and as their faces went from serious to relief._

_His mother crushed him in a hug and he hastily pulled away as his father cuffed him on the back of the neck. After a moment he couldn't help himself anymore. "What happened to Ari-chan?" he demanded from them._

_They exchanged looks and he grew more worried. It was his instructor that stepped forward. "She showed up at our room but I informed her that you weren't there," he said. "At the time you were being tested but I couldn't tell her that so I told her you were training at the grounds near the Academy." He scratched the back of his head. "I assumed she was returning to her parents and thought nothing of it when she left."_

_Kiyo placed a hand on his shoulder. "She went looking for you," she muttered and held something out for him. "This was found in the mud near the Academy." She held a thin chain with a silver ring and a blood red stone with the kanji for Morisue on it. The child had always worn it without fail ever since her mother had given it to her when she'd woken up from her coma two years ago.  
_-

The teenager flinched and shot to his feet but swayed and fell against the nearest tree trunk. He'd passed out most likely no more than three hours ago after searching most of the night without rest. Even so, he refused to stop and forced himself to move. He had to search all of the forest surrounding the Academy in case his sister had wandered in looking for him.

He was still searching when dawn pierced the darkened heavens and when he stumbled across someone training in a clearing. Eizan leaned against the tree he was standing beside as the figure moved fluidly and with a grace he had only seen Jonin move with. However, this boy had to be no more than ten or eleven years old.

As he moved, his loose black hair chased him and caught the sun's rays so it sparkled like starlight. He tilted his head as he watched him move gracefully as he practiced his Taijutsu. Eizan was riveted to the spot as he watched the younger boy train, appearing like an angel come to earth to vanquish the damned.

After a moment, he stopped and took in a deep breath and turned to meet his eyes. It seemed that he had sensed him watching but had said nothing. He was surprised when his eyes shifted to crimson and that made him remember his sister's eyes, since they had that same color lining her black orbs.

He cursed and felt his energy renewed as he fled the clearing, not seeing the eyes of the younger boy that followed him until he had disappeared from view. By the time he had broken through the trees, it was already around eight o'clock in the morning. He heard his name being called and he saw his other teammate waving as she ran toward him.

"Eizan-kun, they found your sister!" she gasped as she held out a piece of paper. "This is the address of where she's being kept. Your parents aren't there so I was sent to find you."

The teenage boy took it and gave the kunoichi a hug before dashing off, not seeing the blush that had colored her features. He looked the scrap of paper over as he ran and quickly found it by getting directions from an ANBU member that stopped him. Obviously, a foreign ninja running down the street was suspicious, but they'd let him continue on after he'd explained. He could still feel his stare on him so he doubted that the elite ninja trusted him, but that didn't matter.

His clothes were filthy and his bangs were falling unchecked across his hitai-ate, but he didn't care and knocked desperately on the door. The person that answered the door looked familiar but didn't know why and he quickly explained why he was here. He told him his name, Uchiha Fugaku, and what had happened. Then he stepped to the side as two more figures approached the door.

"Nii-san," a voice squealed and it sent relief flooding through him so strongly that the child nearly sent him to the ground when she slammed into him. His hand was shaking as he ruffled her hair affectionately and gave a laugh. He kneeled down to embrace his younger sibling and completely forgot that they had an audience. The ANBU member moved on since he saw that Eizan had been telling the truth.

The woman, who introduced herself as Uchiha Mikoto, explained that she'd suffered a fever that had broken at dawn, and he promptly bowed deeply toward her. "Domo arigato gozaimass, for taking care of Ari-chan," he said, voice trembling. He was exhausted but after a moment they left. When he lifted the girl into his arms, he closed his eyes and sent a prayer to the gods that she had been unharmed.

Eizan collapsed when they'd returned to the ryokan.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

He lifted his gaze from the scroll his sensei had given him when he heard his sister call out to someone as they walked back to the Inn. His eyebrows lifted when he recognized the younger boy as the one he'd seen when searching for his sister.

It had been two days since he'd collapsed in exhaustion but had awoken the next day with his sister by his side. Afterwards, he'd gotten up to train and had been forced to take his sibling but his instructor wasn't all too pleased at first. Then he'd been charmed by the little vixen and that had been the end of that argument.

"Itasi-kun, Itasi-kun!" she cried out to him, waving one pudgy arm. The boy had stopped and turned to face them. Eizan saw him smile slightly as he saw the girl and then it faded when his gaze came to land on him. He saw recognition in his onyx orbs but then they were turning back to Arisa as she reached him.

"Arisa-san," he muttered with that small smile again that made Eizan feel jealous. He knew that this was the same boy he had seen that morning and by the name he realized that this was also the one that had found her. That wasn't the problem though, it was the smile that she had while greeting him, which she had only ever reserved for him.

Eizan stopped just besides them and he saw "Itasi" turn his gaze on him once more. He lifted an eyebrow at the angry expression on his features before his lips lifted in amusement. The Ashikaga male felt himself get angrier as he smirked, but controlled himself as his sister chatted amiably to the other. He saw him reach out to place a hand on her head, but Eizan found the contact too much as he stepped forward and pulled Arisa away from him. "Don't touch my sister," he growled.

He could tell that the Konoha Genin found this situation amusing by the slight upturning of his lips, and the flair of life in his otherwise emotionless eyes. "A bit possessive, aren't we?" he muttered quietly. He moved quicker than Eizan could see and he found his fingers grasping only air. "But you're a bit careless with your possessions."

The Suna-nin lunged at him but the other evaded him as Arisa squealed in shock when he jumped into a tree. If he lost him in the forest, he had no idea what would become of his baby sister.

"Give her back!" he yelled as he chased him when he leapt into the next tree. The boy turned in mid jump and gave him a smirk before he twisted so he landed sideways on the tree. Arisa cried in fear at the position they were in and he saw the boy wince as he tried to reassure her.

Eizan took the momentary distraction and attacked him. His fist connected with the side of his face and he released his sister. The older boy landed on the tree branch, bent his knees and propelled himself after his falling sister as she screamed. He reached her before they hit the ground and he curled his body around her since he had no time to slow his descent.

There was gut wrenching pain in his side as he landed and bit his lip to keep from crying out. The Sand shinobi felt blood trail from his lips as his arms fell away from Arisa's unharmed body and he lost consciousness.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Eizan-nii-san," he heard his sister sobbing his name as if from far away. He groaned as his eyes opened but he saw only blackness and didn't understand why. _'Am I blind?'_ was his first conscious thought. Then his eyesight adjusted and he realized that he was looking at a mane of black hair.

He shifted and moaned in agony at his stiff side and the person that was lying against him shifted. It was Arisa. Eizan was in a futon and she had spread herself next to him, so her hair was the first thing he had seen when he'd woken up. He felt relief washed over him to know that she was unharmed.

"Do not move too quickly," a voice muttered close by. He frowned and lifted his head to see "Itasi" sitting seiza-style in the corner. They were in a room and though it was dim inside, it didn't appear like night had fallen yet.

The teenager felt his anger renewed and he sat up but immediately hissed in pain. "I told you not to move too quickly," the boy chastised and Eizan wanted to wring his neck. This was his entire fault to begin with.

"Cut the crap," he snapped at him, sitting up more slowly this time without disturbing his sister. "Where are we?" He wasn't too pleased with the younger Genin and wasn't going to hide it.

His lips lifted in that small smirk once more but it wasn't the same taunting one as before. "I seem to have taken my game a bit too far," he muttered. He motioned his head to the girl. "She gave me quite the beating." There was amusement in his eyes but it wasn't the same as he had seen earlier.

Eizan couldn't help but be curious by that last statement as his eyebrows lifted. "She gave _you_ a beating?" he asked incredulously. Somehow, he couldn't really see that happening. He had barely been able to land a single blow.

He chuckled softly and shook his head. The sound of his laughter was a slightly deep timbre and started from within his chest, and fit him perfectly. "I wouldn't be able to raise a hand to harm her even if I tried," he answered honestly. Eizan found the answer a relief and he also found this whole situation strangely familiar. "Uchiha Itachi."

The older shinobi blinked in confusion before he realized that he was introducing himself. He hesitated, since he still wanted to inflict pain on him for almost getting his sister hurt, but in the end his manners won out. "Ashikaga Eizan."

Itachi nodded and there was a moment of companionable silence that was broken when Arisa yawned. They both turned to glance at her as her blood-rimmed eyes fluttered open and then darted from one to the other. She squealed and jumped at her brother and he bit back a cry of pain.

Eizan returned the embrace and felt his eyes water at the agony of his body being jarred. She quickly released him as if she had realized she was hurting him and stood in front of him and faced Itachi. "Itasi-kun, say sorry!" she demanded.

He watched the Uchiha lift an eyebrow at her statement but his lips turned slightly in that bemused smirk. "And why should I do such a thing?" he asked her quietly. Eizan merely watched, since he was interested in his siblings' answer.

Arisa's face scrounged in thought at his question and she glanced at him for help but Eizan smirked and shrugged. She looked back at Itachi as she crossed her pudgy arms over her chest and her small, pink tongue poked past her lips as she concentrated. Suddenly, she seemed to come up with an answer. "You were mean and Eizan-nii-san got hurt." She nodded smartly at the end.

Eizan couldn't help the laughter that escaped him and he saw Itachi's hand move to his mouth to stifle his mirth. After a moment, he regained his breath and grabbed his sister and gave one of her pigtails a gentle tug. "Well, you heard her Itasi-kun," he taunted amiably. "Say sorry."

Itachi shot him a glare but there was no heat behind it, only annoyance. He glanced at the girl and she crossed her arms over her chest once more as if waiting for his apology. "Ano, Gomen," he replied after a moment, and he felt awkward saying the word.

He let his sister go and watched as she hugged Itachi. The older boy looked a bit uncomfortable with the gesture and he didn't seem to know where to put his arms. After a moment he wrapped them around the girl and she grinned and pulled away. "Itasi-kun my bes' frien'?" she asked.

The Ashikaga male tried not to laugh at her mispronunciation of certain words as he watched the younger Genin try to come up with an answer that wouldn't upset her. Eizan didn't even remember that he had been angry at Itachi only moments before. Arisa had unconsciously lightened the mood and brought them to an understanding.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Itachi and Eizan paused as they neared the park and were slightly amused to see two small bodies wrestling with one another. It was even funnier when they saw Itachi's younger brother watching warily from behind a short haired blond girl. It seemed that Arisa had once again gotten into a fight with another girl bothering Sasuke.

"You grab the pink top?" Eizan asked Itachi. The Sharingan user fixed him with a pointed stare that clearly said, _'Don't make me hurt you.'_ The older of the two laughed and nodded, since he had realized that he wasn't too good with kids that weren't his brother or Eizan's sister. "Janken?" He looked like he wanted to sigh, but nodded and they quickly played the childish game.

"Damn it," the Ashikaga growled as his paper was cut by Itachi's scissors. "Fine, I'll get the pink one." He grumbled as the Uchiha smirked and he resisted the urge to strangle him since he'd seen the flash of red in his eyes.

They quickly advanced on the fighting girls. Soon, Itachi held a wiggling, dirty Arisa, and Eizan held an equally filthy and moving pink haired girl. "Konichiwa, and who might you be?"

The girl blinked up at him in confusion and blushed when she realized he was very good looking. "Ano, Haruno Sakura, Ninja-san," she muttered shyly. She had seen the hitai-ate he wore on his forehead, but noticed that it had an hour glass instead of the leaf symbol. That meant he was a foreign ninja.

Eizan nodded and set her down, but he was confused when she hugged his legs. Her hair was being held back by a red ribbon smudged with dirt, and she peered up at him with wide teal eyes. "You can have Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig," she called to the blonde girl. "I want Ninja-san."

Itachi couldn't hold back the snort of laughter that escaped him as his little brother blinked in shock at him. Eizan glared at the older Uchiha and then glanced helplessly at the pink haired oddball. "Eh, I'm too old for you," he told her, but that didn't seem to dissuade her.

He looked at his sister and saw that she was struggling in the Leaf-nin's grip, trying to lunge at the other girl once more. "Invite me to your wedding, Eizan-kun," he heard Itachi say seriously. Eizan's hand twitched but he refrained from drawing a kunai. His mother wouldn't approve of him using violence on a friend in front of a park full of children, but he was still sorely tempted.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Eizan was sitting under the shade of a tree as he watched the clouds, when he felt a presence approaching. He didn't have to look to know it was Itachi, since the younger male had searched him out before without giving an explanation. He didn't mind, but wondered why he sought his company over the past month.

Their first meeting had been no more then a locking of gazes over the distance just at dawn, and the second time had been a disaster. He had thought that he searched him out because he enjoyed being around his hyperactive sister, but at times he would look for him when he wasn't with Arisa. It confused him.

They sat in silence for several minutes as they each watched the clouds and sorted their thoughts. It was Itachi that actually spoke first and it wasn't what he had been expecting.

"Why do you train to become stronger?" he asked in his quiet voice that still carried over the small distance between them. They had never spoken of anything too serious during their meetings so he couldn't come up with an answer right away. He could tell, however, that the answer was important to him some how.

Eizan sat up with a sigh. "At first it was to prove my worth and erase the pain of my mother's death," he admitted. "Being a ninja like her soothed the sadness a bit."

Itachi glanced at him for a moment before looking away. "Did that change?"

He started to shake his head and stopped. "Hai, sort of," he muttered. "Now, I train to become stronger to protect those that I care about."

This answer seemed to bother the Sharingan user but he said nothing of it. Instead, Eizan asked him what his reason for being a ninja was. "To please my father," he quickly responded.

The Ashikaga looked at him skeptically. He shook his head as if that would change his answer. "There has to be more then that."

Itachi didn't speak right away but finally told him his own reason for being a ninja and getting stronger. "To measure my capacity."

Eizan was silent afterwards because he had no way to respond to that. "Is power everything to you?" he finally asked. "Don't you want to get stronger to protect someone you care for?"

Itachi gave him an incredulous look as if he'd grown a second head. "Power is everything," he immediately said. "There's no need for me to protect anyone to get strong."

He nodded and tilted his head to the heavens. The sky was an impossible blue and the clouds lazed by at a snail's pace. This village had many things his didn't but he was still a bit homesick nonetheless. "Then you earn strength only for yourself?" Eizan sighed and shook his head. "In the end, when you've attained the strength of the world, who will be there to comfort you? Who will be there to greet you or smile at you and congratulate you when you achieve that power?"

Eizan stood and stretched his arms over his head. "Will you be okay living in loneliness?" He tilted his head back to look at Itachi as he peered up at him attentively. A grin parted his handsome feature and the Uchiha felt his heart skip a beat for a single moment.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets, turned and made his way down the hill. "Come bother me when you have someone that's important to you," he called, lifting a hand to wave without turning around. Eizan disappeared down the hill with Itachi staring where he had been moments before.

After he learned to breathe again, he jumped to his feet and hurried after him. Itachi thought he might have already found someone like that. "Eizan-kun!"-

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o  
_**End, The Purpose of Strength.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Lifetime of Sorrow  
**_**Author:** shattered-words

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, it'd be called _'Gaara'_. So, isn't it a shame that I don't own it. ("Mad World" belongs to Gary Jules)

**Summary: **His thoughts as he met and interacted with the last piece of his humanity. Did he truly hate her? Or did he see a mirror of his lonely soul. (Gaara-centric, hints to certain pairings)

**AN:** This is more than I ever imagined writing but it suddenly came to me one night and I wrote it with a feverish effort. I enjoy the way it turned out and forgive the sudden ending, but I felt that too much would be revealed before GoD (Glimpses of Darkness). Please enjoy, and thanks goes to Shadows-upon-Sand, my beta. This is dedicated to Moyiriana, who wanted more Gaara/Arisa(Eizan) intereaction. Hope you like it. Thank you. (Also, remember that Wakarimasen means "I don't understand".)

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"_And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad...the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had..."_

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was a Tuesday. People told time by the amount of days that had gone by, the minutes that had passed them. There was no sense of time for him anymore. It was either day or night; he was either training or staring off into space. There was no concept of time when there was no sleep, so there was no resting period for him either.

Tomorrow would be Wednesday but that didn't matter either. Every day would be spent alone as he watched the other children play with each other. He steered clear of there because he was afraid they would call him a monster and look at him with those hate filled eyes. It made him sad. He knew he had to try but how could he, when no one would let him get close. He was Suna no Gaara.

It was Thursday now, but he hadn't even realized when Wednesday had come and gone. Before he realized it, the week would be over and once again he would be alone. Yashamaru was there but he had missions and couldn't be there for him all the time. He wished for someone his age.

It was on a Friday that he found himself at the playground, sitting on the swing. This was where he was safest, hugging Mr. Bear as he watched the children play. If he got near them, would they still run away? He wanted to try but there was no courage there. However, when their ball became stuck, he was motivated to leave the swing. If he helped them, maybe they'd see that he meant them no harm. He should have stayed on the swing.

"It's Gaara," a voice said fearfully from within the crowd of a dozen children.

'_No, please don't be afraid of me...'_

"Suna no Gaara," another one intoned, already stepping away. He saw the others freeze in fear and then soon they started to inch back.

'_No. I won't hurt you.'_

"Run!" He didn't know who said it first but they all suddenly whirled around and started to flee from him. It was getting dark and the sun was already setting. The night was scary.

"Matte! Please don't leave me alone!" Even when he cried out to them, his own fear clouding his senses, they didn't stop running. It was almost night and anything could happen to him. _'Doesn't anyone care about me?'_

A sudden anger filled him as his fingers tightened around the ball and the sand reacted to his emotion and attacked them. It started to drag them back to their deaths. He saw a little girl standing just on the edge of the playground, silhouetted against the dying sunlight behind her, and he made the sand lunge at her. It was strange but he saw no fear in her eyes.

When it went to attack one of the other children and crush the girl, a figure appeared in front of his sand and shielded the child. Everything came to an abrupt stop and the sand fell harmlessly to the ground before it could hurt someone. "Please stop, Gaara-sama!" It was Yashamaru. He had hurt him.

He heard someone fall and turned to see the girl on her knees. "Why?" she asked, tears starting to stream down her face. There was so much pain in those dark eyes, rimmed in a blood red color. He felt bad that he had almost killed her and he saw that Yashamaru was giving her a sympathetic look.

She looked at the blonde man, and frowned before she turned to look at him. The tears continued to flow freely but there was a sad smile on her features. "Do not trust so easily." She got up and stumbled away, disappearing into the darkness. He almost went after her but she wouldn't want to see him either. Gaara was a monster that had almost killed her.

His uncle was making sure the children were fine and he fled as well, hating the looks they were giving him. He was a bakemono, but he was also afraid. _'Doesn't anyone care about me?'_ Gaara had no answer to that.

Later that night he was motivated by the blonde ninja's words and went in search of the children he had hurt. He braved his fear of the dark and ran through the abandoned streets of Suna. It looked frightening at night but he wouldn't let that get him down.

He came to the first house. It was a failure. "Go home, monster." Such harsh words, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Maybe one of them would be kind enough to accept his apology and would see that he wasn't really a monster. He was just a child that was as afraid as they were of the sand that was at his control.

He lost count of the failures and he almost didn't go to the lone girl's house, but he refused to let go of his hope. Gaara knew that someday he would have a friend that would stick by him and heal the hurt in his chest. He knocked and she opened the door. Those big eyes were once more filled with an emptiness that almost made him shudder.

She took the bag and thanked him and he was almost elated that he'd been successful. He hadn't expected to be asked inside, though. It was night and his eyes darted to the dark house behind the girl. She saw his hesitation and muttered something as she closed the door.

Gaara saw her eyes dim and realized that she might be rejecting him for not accepting her offer to be let in. "No, I'll come in," he gasped, desperate to be accepted in return. She paused as she peered at him with those chilling eyes and he waited with baited breath.

When she opened the door so he could go in he sighed and stepped inside. She closed the door and went down the hall as Gaara froze by the door. It was so dark in the house, and he was half afraid that something would reach out and swallow him.

She turned on the kitchen light and poked her head around the corner. When she motioned for him to follow before disappearing once more, he bolted for the lighted doorway and stopped just inside the room. There was a western style table where a kotatsu was normally located, and she was filling a pot of water as she stood on a stool since she was too short to properly reach the sink.

He sat at the table when she told him too and the night proceeded calmly. Her name was Ashikaga Eizan and she was so much like him. The ability she controlled was almost terrifying and she had also killed her own family by accident with it. Fire.

She caught him staring at her several times and he'd look away in embarrassment, but there was no need to be. Eizan was just like him. 'Just like me.'

The end was when it all went wrong. As he was leaving, she finally asked him his name. "It's...Gaara," he told her and he expected her to be scared because of what people said, but she only nodded.

"I would not trust that man," she said to him as he went to walk out the door, catching his arm. He paused just outside and turned to look at her in confusion. Gaara thought she meant Yashamaru since she had said something like this once before, earlier today. "His eyes are hateful even when his face is kind."

"You mean Yashamaru?" he asked and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. He's the one that made me the ointment. He was worried about you being hurt." The man had risked his life to save that other child and now she was saying that he wasn't to be trusted.

He saw her face harden and her eyes go dead once more as she grip the door tightly. "His eyes are the same. They are the same as everyone else that looks at me with hate and fear, as if I were some kind of monster," she growled, eyes narrowing. "You would do well to be careful."

She sounded so old and Gaara was saddened by the look in her eyes. Although, she didn't want to believe what she said. He shook his head and opened his mouth but she slammed the door in his face. The red haired boy stepped back and frowned before turning around.

He tried to think of Yashamaru's face and all the times they had been together. His kind eyes always held a cold tinge to them but he had assumed that it was because of his life as a ninja. He quickly walked away from the house and when he turned back he saw that there were still no lights on. She was just as alone as he was. After a moment he continued on.

That night, it was proven that Eizan had been right. An assassin came for his life and attacked him. She saved him once and he became angry when she collapsed. He saw the kunai sticking out of her back and he let the sand envelop the ninja and crush the life out of him.

It was Yashamaru's face staring back at him when he removed the face covering. He fell onto his knees. 'His eyes are hateful even when his face is kind.' Eizan's words came back to haunt him and as Gaara was filled with terror and despair, he threw his head back and screamed.

Yashamaru was dead and blood was pouring from his forehead. He had carved the kanji for love there to remind himself that he had no use of such a useless emotion. His uncle had said he care for him and then tried to kill him, so love didn't exist. He faced Eizan and lifted his hand as the sand wrapped around her. If he was alone and couldn't believe in anyone then _she_ deserved to die for almost making him think that he could trust her.

He flinched as her words came back to him once more. _'They don't like me either.'_ The sand hesitated and dropped her at his feet. _'I told you...to be careful.'_ He saw the kunai that she had protected him from, embedded into her flesh.

Gaara knelt beside her and removed one of them. "Why...did you?" he started to ask, but found that he couldn't finish the statement. As he pulled out a second kunai, she responded to his unanswered question.

"Because you're just like me," she whispered as she lay perfectly still. Her words caused him to stop his movements; one of the projectiles gripped in his hand but quickly let it fall beside her.

"I don't trust you," he told her. He wouldn't allow anyone else to hurt him as Yashamaru had done when he betrayed him. If he had to, he would distance himself from everyone and remain safe within the sand they all feared.

Eizan laughed softly as she nodded. "I know you don't," she said. It was the reaction he had been expecting and he was quiet for several moments. She lifted herself onto her hands and knees and met his eyes. "He's wrong. You're not a failure."

'_When the Kazekage learned that his experiment was a failure, he knew you had to be eliminated.'_

"They will see," she told him. Gaara took her words to heart and knew that she was right. If they were scared of him, then he would give them something to fear. It hurt that they hated him when he had done nothing, and so he would give them something to hate about him.

"My only purpose is to end life," he said as if he had suddenly realized it. As he said this, he knew that it was true. When he killed another he would prove his existence to those that ignored him as if he weren't there. "To fight only for myself and love only myself."

"Hai, and mine will be to help you fulfill that purpose, Gaara-dono," she said as she lowered her head, still on her hands and knees. He stared down at her coldly.

Gaara knew he had been forsaken in the darkness, but he didn't understand why she wanted to be with him. Then he remembered that she was as alone as he was, in that dark house with no one to love her either. He found himself nodding. If they were both lost in the night then clinging to one another would make sure that they weren't alone.

He still didn't trust her, but that could be easily solved. She stood and joined him as he stared out at Suna, filled with so many people that would help him prove his existence. If she did betray him one day, it would be so simple to crush her delicate bones with her by his side.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

They joined the Academy together and were placed in the same class. She had yet to betray him but he knew that it was only a matter of time. Many in the class feared her as much as him, but he didn't even bother killing them. He already had someone by his side that would one day help him prove that he was alive.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

She had carved Ai into her chest, just above her heart. He slapped her. Only he was allowed to shed her blood. She hadn't betrayed him yet but it would happen, sooner or later, and so when that time came he wanted her to be unblemished and healthy.

"Why did you do this?" he demanded coldly. He had no need to raise his voice to make her flinch. It was intoxicating and almost made him end her life right then and there, but it wasn't the right time yet. Her life belonged to him and he would end it when he saw fit.

"I wanted to feel your pain," she told him. His hand paused as he was cleaning the wound and something in his heart gave a strange skip. Gaara had almost forgotten he had a heart.

"You're a fool," he told her as he started to dab at the wound again but looked at her in awe. When she looked up she caught his eye and quickly looked down once more, cheeks tinged with pink.

"Hai, I am." For a moment, he forgot that she would betray him one day.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

They graduated from the Academy and they were assigned to different teams. He was placed with his older brother and sister, and he suspected that his father was doing so to keep an eye on him. It was either that or to separate him from Eizan. She belonged to him and no one would do such a thing, but for now he left it alone.

When she lied to him he had hurt her and showed no remorse, but he had turned away. He wanted to kill her but he had no idea why he turned away. "I was scared." Gaara heard her say before the sand covered her face and he flinched. The sand let her go and he almost sighed when he realized something. He couldn't kill her.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"The Otokage has stated that they will help Suna crush Konoha only if we give them something," Baki told them. He turned to look at Gaara and the red head expected to hear the worse. However, his next words were shocking even to him. "He wants Ashikaga Arisa."

Gaara had found out that Eizan's name came from her dead brother and that she was in actuality Ashikaga Arisa. He had almost killed her then for lying about her name, but he had curved his anger and decided not too. At the time he hadn't know why but he refused to acknowledge that it was because she eased his loneliness.

"I don't care. Give her to them," he said calmly. He saw his sibling's stunned expressions but turned away. To tell the truth, he was stunned as well.

Later that morning, he found himself at the playground where they had first seen each other, and he was standing in front of the swing. He felt her presence approaching but said nothing to her, the wind gently picking up the ends of his almost shoulder length scarlet hair. She didn't approach him and stood there for several seconds before she started to leave.

A panic seized him and he called out her name. "Eizan," and then stopped. It surprised him and it seemed that she had frozen in shock as well as he heard her almost stumble.

Of course, since he had never called her by her first name, and he had dropped the honorific. Eizan was a very formal and polite person at times, and she never said anyone's name without the correct suffix. At times, he felt more distanced from her because of the -dono she used for his name.

She was about to kneel besides him and he lifted his hand to stop her. He turned to face her and she averted her eyes. After a few moments of staring at her she began to fidget and he frowned. This was something new. She had never shuffled nervously when in his presence and wondered what had changed.

Gaara almost decided against his earlier proclamation to Baki but he clamped his mouth shut and turned away. She was doing strange things and making him feel something he had no control over. There was an ache in his heart every time he set eyes on her.

"When we leave to Konoha in a few days, we will carry out a mission…" He decided to stick with his plan. It was better off if she was gone from his sight, and when she was, she'd take these feelings and this ache.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

He saw her eyes widen in shock when he spoke those words, when moments before her face had been set in confusion. Then he spoke cruel words to her, trying to get her to hate him enough to betray him, so he could kill her.

"Nani? What are you talking about?" she asked him, and he could tell that she was trying to understand what he had told her. He felt that ache return to his chest but he ignored it.

Gaara turned away and peered into the darkness, but the shocked look on her face wouldn't leave his mind. "Suna has agreed to give you to Oto in exchange for their help in crushing Konoha." He was sure that now she would hate him.

"I won't go," she growled, expecting her too, but her next words surprised him. "I won't let that bastard Kazekage trade me like a possession." So, he believed that his father was the one that was trading her.

He almost let her believe it as he went quiet, but finally told her. "He isn't the one trading you. I am." He heard her suck in air with shock.

"Wakarimasen," she mumbled. "I want to stay by your side."

It was Gaara's turn to be stunned by her words. She still wanted to remain by his side. _'Dosh'te?'_ He quickly shook his head. He couldn't falter now. "I don't want you near me. Why would I?" His eyes were cold when he turned to face her. "You're useless and insignificant. Your very presence is stifling me."

He saw something in her eyes break at his words and he tried not to flinch, or make any type of expression. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. "Get out of my sight," he told her, as he turned away. The ache in his chest was enough to bring him to his knees, but he held on.

"Sumimasen, Gaara-dono," he heard her say, chocking back a sob. She was gone before he could say anything. He turned around and started intently after her before turning to the spot she had been standing moments before.

"It's…it's for the best," he told himself. The image of her shattered eyes would haunt him for years to come; he just hadn't realized it yet.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

He lifted his head when two figures walked into the office, the Kazekage's old office. They had just informed him that his father's body had been found on the outskirts of Suna, but he couldn't muster enough emotion to care. He had hated him, so he felt no remorse or sorrow.

However, he was most interested to hear what the two figures had to say that had entered. After his fight against Naruto, which he had lost, he had realized that he cared about Eizan and that he wanted her by his side. He had left her in the stadium and he'd sent the Itagaki and Erizawa after her. If anyone would fight to get her back, they sure as hell would.

The words that came from Amane's mouth caused something within him to break. "Oto's taken her," she said with barely restrained anger. Her ebony orbs were filled with murder and her partner was shaking with rage beside her. "Explain, now."

Gaara was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth but nothing would come out. It was Temari who stepped forward. "The agreement between Suna and Oto was sealed with the exchange of Ashikaga Arisa."

The blonde had wished she had kept her mouth shut at the look on Amane's face and the cry of despair that escaped Iwane before she slammed her fist into a nearby wall. She looked at her brother helplessly, but Kankurou shook his head. _'Don't get involved.'_

"And...who agreed to this exchange?" Amane demanded, her voice shaking. Her eyes were riveted on Gaara, so it was clear that she already knew the answer to that.

The scarlet haired shinobi lifted his head and his features were twisted as if he were in pain. "I did," he replied, voice devoid of emotion although his eyes were another story.

Iwane cried again and moved to form seals but Amane beat her to it as Kaze no Yaiba ripped through the room. Gaara made no move to defend himself as he lowered his face to the ground, a hand gripping his shirt over his heart.-

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o  
_**End, Lifetime of Sorrow.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hidden Side of a Leaf  
**_**Author:** shattered-words

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, it'd be called _'Gaara'_. So, isn't it a shame that I don't own it? (Quote by Toni Morrison.)

**Summary:** She was alone and scared, so I kept her company. In the process, I discovered a dream. (No pairings.)

**AN:** I think the title went well with this character, since his connection with the main character of GoF was over looked. The first ending I had for this got lost during a trip to McAllen. I nearly cried, cause I lost part of a chapter from GoD. T.T Waaah! But, I preserver because I'm stronger then that. Once, I thought I had lost all of GoF! I almost collapsed but thank god for small favors! Without further ado, the story. This is dedicated to my boyfriend, because without him there, I would have broken down weeping.

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_"Birth, life, and death - each took place on the hidden side of a leaf."_

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The day was hot and not a single cloud touched its limitless blue surface, and the temperature wasn't too hot for summer. It was a day where children of the village could play or cause a bit of mischief. For anyone else, it might have been a day to enjoy the ninja Chunin Selection Exam, but not for a certain five-year-old boy.

He had eyes that rivaled the heavens, and unruly hair the color of spun gold. The three whisker-like markings on each chubby cheek only served to increase his adorable appearance. However, when he was seen on the streets, he was shunned and avoided at all costs.

For this very reason he pulled practical jokes to get attention and it didn't matter if they were annoyed glares. At least then he was acknowledged and wouldn't be invisible. He was the orphan, pariah and all-around troublemaker, Uzumaki Naruto.

Everyone knew who he was and the adults knew why he was so despised, but not Naruto himself. The younger generation also didn't know the reason he was hated, but they followed their parents' example and so the blonde was alone almost every day. The leader of the village, who was an elderly man well past his prime, at times invited him for Ramen, but it wasn't always and he wanted to have someone his age to play with him.

Today was a big event that many were going to at the stadium, as well as many foreigners, but Naruto had no idea what was going on. He'd tried to get in but he'd been stopped in every attempt by men and some women wearing white masks. After his fifth attempt, one of them had decided that physical punishment was in order.

Naruto grumbled in annoyance and winced in pain at the bump forming on the corner of his mouth and right eye. "He didn' hab to hit me soh hard," he whined, his words slightly slurred due to the swelling of his lips. Most of the streets were abandoned by this time since the adults and anyone old enough to be in the stadium would be there right now. It was almost pleasant since there was no one to avoid him or throw fearful or hateful looks his way.

As he was walking along, he bumped into a woman wearing a green flak vest and dark blue pants, and since the vest was left hanging open he could see a sleeveless black shirt underneath. Her light brown hair had natural blonde highlights in it and it was pulled into a French braid that reached her shoulders.

She turned to glare at him with a furious expression and he shrank away from her as he remembered the man that had struck him. "Ano, Gomen," he hastily replied, but she saw that her eyes had softened when they'd landed on him.

"Oh, Naruto-kun," she muttered quietly and with a smile. "I thought you might be my good for nothing son. He's skipped his training again."

Naruto had blinked in confusion before he recognized the woman. She was the only medic-nin that ever attended him when he wound up in the hospital. He hadn't recognized her at first since her face was usually kind and she looked ready to kill something at that moment.

"You hab a sohn, Akiko-san?" he asked, since she hadn't ever mentioned having any children. In fact, at times she seemed sad about something and rarely talked about anything but his own life.

Akiko nodded and then frowned after a moment when she noticed his injuries. "What happened to you here, Naruto-kun?" she asked, and she watched with interest as his eyes widened the slightest bit and shifted up and to the right/left. "And don't you lie to me."

The blonde sighed as he was caught before he could even tell the lie and it had been such a well thought up one to. _'I fell off the slide.'_ He folded his arms behind his head as he grinned at her. "I wah causin' trauble af the stadum," he admitted sheepishly. Although at first he felt that the man had hit him unjustly, maybe he really had deserved it for bothering them.

One thin brow lifted at his words and her lips pressed into a thin line. "Oh, is that right?" she asked. "Did the one that hit you have a mask?" At his nod her eyes narrowed. "What did the design look like?"

Naruto waved his arms around. "No, Akiko-san. Jus' leb if aloun," he told her with a shake of his head. When she glared at him he crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head stubbornly. The last thing he wanted was for her to pummel the man and then he would know that it was because of him and then no one would even look at him anymore, even when he pulled his pranks.

Akiko sighed and nodded in the face of his stubbornness. She took his arm and started to drag him toward the nearby hospital. "Come on, I want to check you over," she told him. He started to fight her hold since he probably already knew the other reason she was taking him there and she chuckled. "Gomen, Naruto-kun, but it's time for your monthly check-up and vaccinations."

"Noh shots!" he protested but she merely sighed and pulled him along. Every month was the same thing but she didn't mind attending to the blonde boy. He reminded her so much of her own son, which had died during the Kyuubi invasion. She didn't resent Naruto as everyone did for having the nine-tailed fox inside of him.

Akiko saw him as the hero the Yondaime wanted everyone to see him because if Naruto hadn't been sacrificed then her other two children would have died. He bore the weight of their hatred, and hopes that the biju would never again escape and spill anymore blood.

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Naruto sighed as he sat on the bed in the hospital and waited for the test results to return. Akiko-san had drawn blood to make sure he was okay but he had heard her muttering something about how that seemed like a low possibility. Now, all he could do was wait until the results and the medic-nin returned.

He sighed and after a moment he made up his mind and hopped out of bed. The blonde was only wearing his boxers and a hospital gown, and Akiko had taken his clothes so he wouldn't try to escape. Well, she said that he couldn't leave the hospital, but she hadn't necessarily said he had to stay in the room.

Naruto tied the gown more tightly around him and snuck out of the room. He crept along the halls, hiding when someone came around a corner or out of a room. After avoiding being spotted several times, he had reached a ward that was labeled ICU, but he had no idea what that meant.

As he wandered down the hall, he was seen and he fled from the nurse and entered a random room to escape her. He was pressed against the wall beside the door and only moved when she had ran past. Naruto breathed a sigh and turned to face the room and paused at the sight before him.

There was a bed in the middle of the room and there was a small figure attached to several machines that were beeping, and a tube that was attached to a bag that was dripping a liquid so it flowed into her arm. He moved closer and peered at her and saw that her eyes were closed and that most likely meant she was asleep.

She looked his age and had long black hair pulled into a ponytail at the side of her head, and her left shoulder and most of her chest was wrapped in bandages. Naruto thought that she looked so frail and would break if he got any closer. However, he could have sworn he had seen someone leaning over her bed when he'd entered, but he was gone the next second, he might have imagined it.

The man had long black hair that flowed down his back and had been wearing what appeared to be a kimono and sandals like a lot of people wore. He'd never seen him before, but he'd also never seen her either, since he knew most of the children of the village since he suffered their taunts on most days.

He heard the door open and he jumped and hid under the bed. The person entering wouldn't have seen him since the curtain had been partially drawn and it would have covered his retreat. It was one of the nurses and he tried to lessen his breathing so she wouldn't hear him.

Naruto heard someone else enter and saw that it was the doctor. He looked over the charts and listened to the nurse tell him of the treatment the doctor on the previous shift had done. "She's from one of the visiting villages so he was very careful on what medications to give her. Also, he reported that there was a strange chakra coming from her that prevented most of his healing of the injury."

He nodded and slipped the chart under his arm as he used a stethoscope to listen to the beat of her heart. "The wound was very close to the heart," he muttered to himself. "How did the injury occur?"

"Her brother is in the Chunin Exam and he was training. The accident happened at that time yesterday afternoon. He claims to have no fault, but wouldn't say what had caused the tree to fall on her." She sighed and approached the bed as Naruto shuffled further under. "Hokage-sama has allowed him to only tell his instructor and parents since it might have something to do with a village secret or ability."

The doctor nodded and assigned the same medication to keep the girl from feeling pain and they both exited after a minute more. The blonde sighed in relief when they'd gone and he crawled from under the bed and pulled the curtain shut and sat on the chair besides the bed.

_'A tree fell on her?'_ Naruto thought. He leaned forward and patted her hand affectionately. "I hob you ge' befer," he lisped. He was shocked when her eyes fluttered open at the contact of their hands. She turned her head slightly and blinked at him.

"You're not him," she muttered in confusion. There was a frown twisting her features but she looked a bit dazed.

Naruto tilted his head to the side curiously. "Nof who?" he asked her as he watched her try to regain her consciousness through the haze that clouded her eyes. She was most likely still asleep.

"Shirimasen," she muttered. "He said that I go with him and be his Hime." She shook her head as if she was trying to clear it but she still seemed to be affected by it. "I say I didn't want to leave Eizan-nii-san and he did something."

The whiskered boy was at the edge of his seat as if he were hearing an exciting tale. "Wah he du?" he asked anxiously. He wanted to know what this evil man had done but he wondered if perhaps she'd been dreaming.

Her hand moved toward her throat, most of it covered with the bandages. "He gave me shot here. It hurt and I sleep," she whispered. She turned her eyes to look at him, and her small fingers pulled back the bindings and he saw the puncture wound of the needle. "I'm scared."

Naruto frowned and wondered if perhaps she was telling the truth. He reached out for her hand and held it as she gripped back. "I stay wif joo," he reassured her with a smile. He expected her to shun him as everyone else did, but he was surprised when she smiled and then closed her eyes.

"What's your name?" she muttered as she started to fall asleep once more.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he responded but she had already drifted off. He sighed and pulled the chair closer and laid his head on the bed beside her as he continued to hold her hand. Naruto would keep his promise and stay with her.

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Naruto felt a hand shake him awake and while it annoyed him to be woken up, the action wasn't rough. His cerulean orbs opened and turned to see a teenaged boy standing beside him. He looked a lot like the little girl on the bed, who was still sleeping soundly, but he had mesmerizing gray eyes instead of black with crimson sides like hers.

"Konichiwa, and who might you be?" he asked him. Naruto was relieved that the older boy wasn't angry about finding him sleeping beside Arisa. In fact, he looked very tired and a bit bemused but not upset. He had on a black bandana with a metal plate around his forehead with an hourglass symbol on it.

He had seen many people wearing it around the village but theirs had the leaf sign. Naruto had asked the old man what they meant but he hadn't given him a response and Akiko hadn't either. It was almost like they were trying to keep something from him.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he said his name once more. He looked at the girl and pried his fingers from hers as he sat up. "Who're you?" He was glad to notice that the swelling in his mouth had gone down.

The boy smiled through his fatigue and pulled up another chair but didn't order him out. Naruto was glad since he didn't want to leave Arisa alone. "Ashikaga Eizan," the older male responded. "Ari-chan's my sister and we're from Sunagakure."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Hidden...in Sand?" he asked, a bit confused. That's another thing he didn't understand. Their village was called Konohagakure, hidden within the tree leaves. He just didn't know why they were hiding. "Why do you hide?"

Eizan chuckled and shook his head. "Because ninja are supposed to hide from the rest of the world," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ninja?" he asked. "What's a ninja?"

He seemed genuinely surprised as Naruto asked this question. "You don't know what a ninja is?" The blonde shook his head and Eizan scratched the back of his head. "Well, that's strange. What are your parents teaching you?"

The Suna-nin saw the grimace of pain that passed over his features and immediately knew what it meant. It was the same reaction he had when he was asked about his real mother, or when he remembered her. This boy's parents were either gone or they had died. "No parents, huh?" he asked sympathetically.

Naruto nodded miserably and Eizan ruffled his unruly hair. "Well, that's too bad, but don't let it get you down," he said with a smile. He peered at his sister and his expression turned sad. "My mother died because she was a ninja. A ninja is also known as shinobi, and they protect the village from any threat or danger."

He motioned to his headband and the piece of metal on it. "This is a hitai-ate and it signifies that you've become one, but you'll only be a low rank one." He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. "You have to work hard to advance to the next level and become a great ninja."

Naruto liked the sound of this ninja business. If he became one then people would start to acknowledge him for more than just his pranks, but he had to be the best. "What happens when you're the best?" he asked him anxiously.

"You become a Kage. A Kage is the leader of his village and has the respect of being the most powerful ninja in the village. For your village, it's the Hokage and ours is the Kazekage." He pondered this for a second. "Your Kage is old and wears a long white robe and a red and white hat. Have you seen him?"

The blue-eyed boy realized that he was talking about old man Sarutobi. "Saru-jiji is the Hokage?" he asked incredulously. "But he's _old_!" The way he said it made it seem like that explained it all.

This only served to amuse the older boy even more as he laughed and shook his head. "While I agree with you, that doesn't change the fact that he's the Hokage of your village. I hear he's one of the most powerful ones that Konoha has had and he's been called "The Professor" because he knows so much knowledge and jutsu."

Naruto was one again confused by his words. "What's a jutsu?" he asked him. Eizan sighed and dreaded explaining things to this kid he hardly knew.

His sister already knew the basics of a ninja since he had started to show her what he had been learning in the Academy since three years ago. He didn't want her to be defenseless if he was unavailable to protect her. Yesterday's accident had proven more than anything that he couldn't always be there to protect her from every danger.

Eizan was exhausted after his basic explanation of a shinobi and spiritual and physical energy to produce types of jutsu of the wind, air, fire, earth, and lightning variety. After a while, he had fallen asleep in the chair as the blonde boy watched over both of the siblings. He felt comforted with them sleeping so soundly and securely close by him.

He only left when the nurse had shooed him away because he wasn't related and only members of the girl's immediate family were allowed in her room. Naruto had grudgingly left but made the nurse promise she would deliver a message to the still slumbering Eizan. He hadn't wanted to wake him since he looked so tried.

_'I come see Arisa again. -Naruto'_ Had been written in his childish and barely distinguishable scrawl. The old man had taught him only how to write so he was at the elementary level.

As he left the hospital, he lifted his face to the heavens and enjoyed the remaining warmth the fading sunlight had to offer before he made up his mind. He grinned and started to run toward the Hokage Dairi because he had said something to Eizan and he planned to keep his word.

_'I want to become Hokage! Then they'll all respect me!'_

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He ran with a renewed bounce to each step and a grin on his features as he moved down the busy street. The once morose blonde was elated to be alive and to know he could also have a purpose in life. A ninja. He would be a shinobi of Konoha and one day Hokage, and then people would respect him.

The girl's brother had made him want to be the kind of person that commanded respect with his skills and very presence. Naruto hadn't known him for too long and yet he'd realized that he was deep seeded in his belief of being a ninja of his own village and protecting those he cared about. The boy didn't have anyone to care about yet, but if he continued to work hard toward his dream, then he would.

He'd asked the Sandaime about becoming a shinobi and he had seen surprise and then sadness in his tired brown eyes. The emotion had confused Naruto, but the old man had reassured him that nothing was wrong. He had explained that anyone that wished to be a ninja had to enter the Academy at a young age. Luckily, Naruto was just in time to be able to register before he had become too old.

So, Naruto was glad he met the girl and her brother. Now he raced back to the hospital to visit them as he had promised and also to tell them the good news.

When he reached the building, the nurses at the entrance wouldn't allow him to enter since he couldn't remember the name of the patient. He suspected it was something else, but he didn't voice that as he left with a frown.

A grin split his features a moment later as he remembered that the girl's window faced a tree that had grown in a strange, crooked way. He ran around the hospital, trying to find the tree and he finally came to it and wasted no time in climbing it. Her room was on the third floor.

He scaled the tree like a monkey and swung from it so he sailed through the air and latched onto the edge of the window. It was lucky for him that he was naturally agile and he'd had practice swinging from trees during his pranks.

Naruto scrambled through the window and grinned as he lifted his hand to greet whoever was in the room, but the greeting died on his lips. The room was empty and the bed was made as it waited for a new patient. They were gone.

The blonde stood there for a few seconds in disbelief. Naruto had realized that they'd be returning home, but he hadn't known it would be so soon. He felt tears sting his cerulean orbs as he rubbed his eyes. It wasn't fair.

Eizan had been so nice and he'd been very patient with him when explaining what a ninja was, even if Naruto had interrupted several times to ask questions. No one had ever treated him like that except Sandaime and Akiko, but they were adults already. The girl had been his age and the boy hadn't been that much older than him.

He sniffled and turned toward the window once more when the door open and he heard someone pause as he was spotted. Naruto didn't hear them yell at him for being there and turned expectantly toward the person. It was the nurse and he remembered that she was the one he had given his message to.

Naruto wondered if perhaps she had merely crumpled it and not given it to them, and he felt an anger manifest within his chest. He wondered why he had to be hated so much when he hadn't ever done anything wrong.

"Ano," her hesitant voice stopped the words that were about to form on his lips. She stepped forward and held out a folded piece of paper. "Ashikaga-san asked me to give this to you."

He felt a pleasant surprise wash over him and knew that she must have given Eizan his note if he was responding. Naruto ran toward her and took the paper. Naruto hugged the nurse, who squeaked in surprise, and then left the room through the window as she cried out in surprise.

If he'd looked back he would have seen the nurse peer out the window with shock and worry and would have been comforted, but he was clutching the letter against his chest as he ran. He wanted to read it by himself and it didn't matter how much he stumbled over the words.

The first words he deciphered were on the outside of the letter itself and that had been easy. _'Don't read until you've become a real ninja.'_ Eizan had explained that to become a ninja, one had to be strong enough to protect those that couldn't fight for themselves. A real ninja was ready to lay their life down to defend those they cared for.

Naruto put the piece of folded paper away in a safe place in his shabby apartment and determined that it would be a long time before he became a ninja, but he would wait. He could wait since he knew that one day he _would_ become that type of person. Because when he found people that he cared for and who accepted him, then he would overcome any obstacle to protect them, even death.

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The blonde boy was led inside by a taller male with longer dark brown hair and who resembled a girl more than anything. As they entered, he pulled away and stumbled but he shook off the other's offer of help as he pressed the bandage against his forehead. "I'll be fine by myself, Haku-kun," he assured his companion.

Haku didn't seem convinced of this, but knew how stubborn the blonde could be. "Alright, Naruto-san, but you better come to see Akiko-san later," he warned him. "You know how she gets."

Naruto winced as if reliving old memories and nodded. "Hai, I will but later!" He waved him away as he straightened his tattered clothing.

The invasion had left this part of Konoha untouched and he was glad that he didn't have to look for a new apartment. He still wasn't well liked and it'd be harder to find another place. Ever since he had started to take on missions, he had insisted that Sandaime and Akiko-san stop paying for his utilities and food. Naruto wanted to be able to support himself and then later, be able to pay them back for all they'd done for him.

He felt an ache in his chest as he remembered that now he wouldn't ever be able to pay the old man for all he'd done for him. During the invasion, Sandaime had battled against Orochimaru and he had lost his life. Naruto didn't believe it when he had found out because it seemed like a lie that the old man could be dead.

Of course he had been old and frail, but there was also an untouchable quality about him that made it impossible for him to be gone. Although, he doubted that Saru-jiji would ever truly be gone from Konoha, and the hearts of those that had known and loved him.

He led his friend to the door, holding it open for him as he walked out. However, before he left, the former Kiri-nin seemed to remember something. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Eizan-san said something during our battle," he muttered. He frowned, and Naruto knew that he was confused as to why she had left him alive. "She said, 'Tell Naruto-san that the scroll is not intended to hurt anyone.' Have any idea what it means?"

Naruto blinked and shook his head. "Iie, I don't," he muttered thoughtfully as he looked around the room but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. "I'll let you know if something turns up."

Haku got the impression that the blonde was trying to get rid of him and wondered for a moment why, but didn't want to push his presence on the Genin if he had something he needed to do alone. "Alright then. Konbanwa, Naruto-san," he said with a wave as he exited the apartment and moved down the hall.

The Konoha-nin waited until he had turned the corner to close his door and lock it. He threw off his dirty jacket, pants and sandals before racing through the small living room and into his room only in his shirt and boxers. When he reached it, he fell onto his hands and knees beside his bed and reached across the floor.

His fingers felt around the floor boards for several moments before he found a distinct indentation and slipped two fingers into the holes in the wood. He gripped the board and pulled as it came away with a creak. It had been a while since he had pulled it open. Seven years to be exact.

Naruto was wiggling with excitement as he groped around inside the opening and pulled out a small metal box. He had a good grip and crawled back with it as he sat on the floor with it on his lap.

He fished around inside his shirt and pulled out a slender chain with a small, silver key attached to it. Naruto removed it from around his neck and slipped the key into the lock with a shaking hand as he turned and unlocked it.

Now he paused as he took in a deep breath before pulling it open and pushing several things aside until he came to an old envelope. From it he extracted a folded piece of paper that looked to have seen many years. He set the box aside as he looked it over, and there were faded words on the outside, but he could still read them, _'Don't read until you've become a real ninja'_. Naruto opened it and started to read at last.

If you're reading this, then you're either cheating and the nurse just handed you the note, or you've finally become a real ninja! Now, a lot of people will tell you that being a shinobi is to become a tool to be used and then discarded when its' use is over. That is true in a lot of instances, but not always.

Being a ninja, to me, means everything! My mother was a ninja and she died as one, but I don't think that it's just about obligation and killing. You're able to protect people you care about and ensure that the place where they live continues to be safe and peaceful.

If you're reading this then you were able to push fear aside and protect your friends and loved ones in the face of death or injury. At times, we get true strength when we fight, not for ourselves, but for those who can't. I find comfort in the knowledge that everything I do is for the benefit of my beloved sister.

A wise man once taught me that I had to treasure her or she'd be taken from me, and I plan on showing him one day that I became a great ninja that is able to protect her from all harm. Of course, I also want to punch him in the face, but that's a story for another day.

I'm sorry we won't be here when you return but I made the nurse promise that she'd give this to you without reading it. She seems sincere enough. We live in Suna, which is a few days walk from Konoha so we might not meet for a long time, or we might never meet again. Either way, thank you for keeping Ari-chan company and for listening so attentively to every word I said. Until we meet again, if we ever do.

Naruto sat back and blinked in confusion and awe at the letter he had just read two times in a row. He laughed and shook his head since it was everything he had expected, and yet he hadn't known what he _had_ been expecting.

He was disappointed to realize that he couldn't remember the boy's name, whom had taught him long ago what a ninja was. Either way, he would cherish this letter until he was able to meet him again. For some reason, the thought of the older boy always seemed to make him sad, although, he had no idea why.

The letter was carefully folded back and placed in the envelop that he had placed it in so long ago, and now he sealed it. He returned it to the metal box that would protect its contents even in a fire, and locked it securely before returning it to its hiding place. Naruto sat beside his bed for a moment in contemplation before standing.

The blonde froze half way to his feet as he spotted a scroll on the bed and tilted his head in confusion. Haku's words came back to him. He suddenly realized that it had to be from Eizan. Naruto practically lunged for the scroll and broke the seal without hesitation and started to read.

Naruto felt a sense of déjà vu at how the letter began. He shook it off and continued to read.

_"...then I didn't get to speak to you during or after the invasion. I hope you weren't injured during the invasion and if you were, then I apologize. It wasn't my intention to see anyone hurt, but we're shinobi and it's inevitable. Many of my worries and doubts over this were mainly for you and Uchiha Sasuke. You may ask why I worry for him, but now is not the time to answer that._

_There are many things I want to say in this letter. First of all, thank you for everything you did for me. I don't know how I could have survived this past month without your help. You saved me when I thought all hope had been lost. It was probably the heartache, but I think I pushed my teammates away. I just didn't know how to face them after this._

_Also, I was able to return to my hotel room and recover the rest of my possessions and money. I sold most of my clothes and belongings to a second hand store and you'll find the money you lent me in the first top drawer..."_

The blonde stopped reading once more and scrabbled over to the drawer and pulled it open. He pushed his shirts aside and found more then enough to cover the month that she had been living there with him. Naruto only separated what he'd lent her and the other rolled it up so he could return it to her when they met again. He returned to the letter once more.

_"...and it should cover a month__'s rent. You'd probably insist that I take it back, so I decided to leave it and not tell you and that way you'd have no choice. __So, try and buy more clothes without orange. It's an interesting color and I'm not saying to stop wearing it, but wear something different on missions for Kami's sake!_

Naruto stopped once more and blinked in confusion. He hadn't realized that Eizan had known Sasuke before now. The Uchiha hadn't shown any signs of recognizing her. He shrugged and resumed the letter.

_"There was one more reason why I left this letter, and that__'s to tell you what I've been doing all month. If you noticed, the proctor for the preliminaries mysteriously disappeared, and many assume he's dead. He's not._

_I would admit that a part of me wanted to end his existance, but I kept myself from drowning in these thoughts. That's not me. I did, however, keep him sedated most of the time and fed him whenever he woke up._

_I wasn't cruel and did nothing to hurt him. He's sickly so I don't think he'll survive for too long if he's left there without food or care, so please hurry to him. I would have released him before the exam, but I didn't want to risk the plan to destroy Konoha. Frankly, I hope we fail._

The Konoha-nin felt his eyes widen at the initials at the end of the page and immediately dropped to the floor and pulled the loose board up. He took out the box and hastily unlocked it and tore the envelop open, but made sure not to damage the letter. The blonde felt his breath catch in his throat at the initials there. "A.E."

He compared the letters and although the handwriting was slightly similar, it was still distinctive. Also, there was no way that short Eizan could have been that tall boy, and besides at the time he'd most likely been thirteen. Seven years had passed since then, so that Suna male had to be at least twenty by now.

Naruto remembered the incident with the Shinobi Skill Cards that Kabuto had, and about how there had been different teammates, a boy and a girl. He paused as he also recollected that the card had listed him as "Deceased". The blonde plopped on the bed and Eizan's words came back to him. _'I don't have anyone else to fight for. My parents and brother are gone, and now Gaara-dono has cast me from his side.'_

He knew sorrow at realizing that the first Eizan, the one that had taught him what a ninja was, had died shortly after they'd met. It had listed him as dead more than six years ago. Naruto now knew that the Eizan he had met during the Chunin Exam was the girl in the hospital and her brother is...was the boy, whom had woken him from slumber so long ago. He had the impression at the time that the boy cared a great deal for his sister, so he assumed that the sister also loved her brother the same way. It was only logical that she had taken his name after he had perished.

_'Ari-chan,'_ he silently mused to himself. If they were to ever meet again, he'd make sure to tell her what connected them. It was no wonder that he had felt a strong need to protect her when battling against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. He'd done it before by staying at her bedside, and his instincts had told him to do it again.

Naruto shook these thoughts off and pulled the scroll more open to reveal the map that she'd drawn. He memorized it and realized that it wasn't too far from where he lived. As he changed, he thought about her actions and knew that she wasn't a bad person since she had spared one of their Jonin and told him where he was being held. After all, her brother was the one that had taught him that being a ninja didn't mean just being a tool.

When one was a shinobi, you were able to protect those you care for and the place you called home. So, he would continue to work hard and proce one day that he was the best. Naruto slipped on his sandals and left the apartment via the window, and soon he was sprinting over the roofs as he let his memories take over.

- _**  
**__Eizan chuckled at his enthusiasm as he asked another question, this time about hand seals. He didn't become mad when he interrupted him, and quickly showed him how to position his hands for the tiger seal. When he nodded eagerly, the older boy laughed once more. Naruto enjoyed the sound of his laughter, since all he ever heard from the villagers were shouting and cursing._

"_A series of different seals will cause the user to perform a certain type of jutsu. It _

He added the soap and started to mix it with his finger. They became foam that started to spill over the top of the cup. "The foam is the jutsu."

"_Keep it down, you," he chastised good naturedly. "We don__'t want to wake Ari-chan.__"_

_He released the older male and they started to _

They looked out at the village. Naruto jumped up onto the sill and let his legs hang over the side as Eizan lightly smacked him upside the head. Naruto blinked at him in confusion and the other just pulled him inside a bit more so one leg was inside and the other outside.

"What about you, Naruto-san?" he asked him, changing it after the boy had refused to be called "Uzumaki-san" He leaned out the windowsill besides the blonde.

The jinchuriki hesitated and glanced outside as they watched villagers go about their daily lives from the third story room. "I want to be able to live and not be hated." His face lit up and gave him a foxy grin that lit up his cerulean orbs and features beautifully. "I want to become Hokage! Then they'll all respect me!"

Naruto jumped to the next roof and as he soared through the air, the wind pulled at his garments as his hair became even wilder. He turned his tanned face toward the heavens, and the dying sunlight warmed his face and body.

'_Dream as if you__'__d live forever, and live as if you__'__d die tomorrow.__'_

He would strive to achieve his dream to become Hokage and keep living as if it were his last day because as shinobi, that's all they had. Naruto gave a grin reserved for the one that had taught him what it meant to be a ninja.-

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**Translations:  
****Shirimasen:** For those that don't remember, it means "I don't know".  
**Saru-jiji:** Naruto's nickname for Sarutobi. Saru means monkey and -jiji means old man, so he's calling him old monkey man? lmao! XD  
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_**End, Hidden Side of a Leaf.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Misconceptions  
**_**Author:** shattered-words

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, it'd be called _'Gaara'_. So, isn't a shame that I don't own it? (Quote provided by ninjadruid13.)

**Summary:** The mission was successful and went off without a hitch, then I returned to the horror that awaited me at home. If I had been there, I might have been able to save them. If I had been there I would have died by my brethren's side.

**AN: **This is posted today ahead of schedule and before Sasuke's for a very specific reason. I felt this was a very significant part in Life Drabbles. Today is the seventeenth anniversary of my uncle's death and this is dedicated his memory.

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"_Sometimes the simplest truth lay in the lies around us."_

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A figure darted over the high walls of Konoha undetected and accompanied by two others. It was identified as a male wearing bone-white chest, arm and shin armor. He wore black pants and matching sandals, and a sleeveless black shirt so the ANBU tattoo was visible on his left bicep.

There was a white mask worn over his features that identified him as Nezumi, and long greyish black hair was tied into a low ponytail that trailed behind him. The other two ANBU wore the same attire and the one on his right had the Ushi mask and the ninja at his left had the Saru mask.

They were mere shadows to any walking the streets at this time of night. It was usual that they retire and give their report tomorrow morning. However, Rat sensed unrest within the village and decided it was best to head to Hokage Dairi immediately. Something was amiss within Konoha tonight.

As they neared the tower, they noticed the Third Seat heading in the same direction being led by Hebi. Nezumi nodded a greeting and it was promptly returned. Trailing behind the snake, and keeping rapid pace with him, were Usagi and Inoshishi.

"What has happened?" Nezumi murmured quietly as they hopped over the roofs toward the tower. They had just returned from their mission and had no idea what was going on.

"There's been a massacre," Hebi responded in his quiet tone that seemed to carry over the distance. The ANBU besides him stiffened but said nothing more since he knew the Snake well. He wasn't one to reveal too much if he chose too, and he knew that he'd have to wait for his questions to be answered.

His brother's face flashed through his mind and he was almost tempted to run toward the Uchiha compound but knew that his duty to the village had to come first. As had happened before, though, he was sorely tempted to throw obligation to the wind and go to his younger siblings' side.

They arrived at the Hokage tower in no time and it was to see First Seat already there, which had Tatsu as the leader, leading Inu and Uma. His gaze passed over Dog momentarily but nothing more. He knew what his father always said about the silver haired man. That he was a thief and didn't deserve to be a ninja.

Of course, he had never thought in such terms since he had met his uncle once. He had been a loudmouth and a 'disgrace' to their family, and he had cared deeply for his teammates. Obito had offered his Sharingan to Kakashi willingly, and then he had died.

He noticed that Fourth Seat was nowhere to be seen but that was understandable since the leader, Tora, was one of the best medic-nin they had at the moment. If there had been a massacre then her squad, which consisted of Hitsuji and Tori, would be dispatched to aid any that might have been left alive.

Many might wonder why a healer was the Tiger but anyone that had ever fought along side her knew. She had that feminine appeal that made you feel at home, but that same aura of hers turned cold as she became deadly in battle. With the Shosen Jutsu, the same hands used to heal easily ended life.

The Rat knew this well since he had been paired with her squad more than several times and he'd seen first hand the devastation she could cause. She was like a woman possessed while in battle, and he had no doubt that she was a mother.

Nezumi was quite shocked as First Seat surrounded and threw chakra draining nets over him. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. They didn't respond and lead him away with his confused ANBU squad following close behind.

He was brought before the Sandaime and forced to his knees in front of the desk as his hands were tied behind his back. The members of First Seat left him in the care of the remaining members of Second Seat. When the door closed he turned toward the Hokage who raised his hand to silence him. "I'm sure you are wondering why you are being detained, Uchiha Itachi?"

Nezumi frowned before Saru reached down and removed his mask as his features were shown, although they revealed nothing of his anger. The lines that defined his face made him look older, and his coal black eyes held more wisdom than any normal thirteen-year-old boy.

When he didn't answer, the Sandaime continued on. "Saru and Ushi, did you lose sight of Nezumi during your mission?" he asked the ANBU members. He knew that the Monkey and Ox were faithful toward the Rat but would never do anything that went against the village and the Hokage.

"Not once," Saru answered immediately. The Hokage turned his gaze on him and nodded after a moment before turning his attention to the other member. Monkey and he didn't see eye to eye at times but he knew that the man wasn't lying.

"No," the Ox finally told him. Sarutobi sighed after a moment and knew that the scarred ANBU would never lie about such matters. As one of the best Torture and Interrogation Specialists they had, he took matters involving information seriously.

"Good," he replied and he indicated that they release Itachi. "What I am about to tell you must never leave this office." He eyed each member of Second Seat and when they nodded he proceeded to tell them what had happened tonight.

Itachi was stoned faced by the time the Hokage finished his explanation of the massacre of the Uchiha Clan, which had only left Sasuke alive. He didn't see the sympathetic look he received from the leader of Konoha or his teammates step closer to him to offer silent comfort.

"Where is Sasuke?" he asked quietly, voice shaking the slightest bit. He didn't remember ever being this angry before. The Uchiha wanted nothing more at the time than to search out his clan's murderer and slaughter them, but his younger sibling needed him now more than ever.

The old man hesitated and Itachi felt a sense of dread wash over him. "I'm afraid that we can't let you see him," Sarutobi said as gently as possible. "The person who killed off the Uchiha placed an advanced Genjutsu on his mind, and young Sasuke believes that you murdered them."

The young ANBU commander felt his world collapse all around him at those words. "And has anyone tried to remove it?" he asked as calmly as he could muster. His hands were shaking and his knees buckled and threatened to give way on him. He seemed to already know the answer before it was given to him.

"The illusion over his mind is too powerful and tricky for anyone to remove," the Hokage told them. He paused for a moment and it brought the Uchiha's attention to him. His eyes clearly said that he wanted to know everything involving this matter.

"The Genjutsu seems very similar to the one placed on Mitarashi Anko's mind." Sarutobi saw Itachi's black orbs shifted for a moment to Sharingan before returning to normal. "I believe that Orochimaru might have been responsible for this."

"Did she have a part in any of this?" he asked suddenly, voice laced with venom. He was ready to tear out of there and kill the woman if that were the case. At the moment he had no idea where Orochimaru was located and any bit of revenge for his family would be welcome.

The Sandaime frowned at him. "I assure you that Anko had nothing to do with this tragedy," he told him sternly. His eyes told Itachi that he was disappointed that he thought the kunoichi could have had anything to do with the massacre. Although, he understood his grief and that he was only trying to cope with the fact that he had lost everything close to him in one devastating blow.

"Sumimasen," he muttered after a moment and the elderly Hokage knew that was all he would get. Itachi had recovered his mask from Saru after they'd released him but he hadn't replaced it on his face. He held it in his hand and was trying not to let his fingers crush it.

He finally turned to the Sandaime, determination creasing his handsome features. "Where was the snake's last reported location?" he asked. He moved forward and placed the mask on the desk in front of the Hokage.

The old man shook his head as he frowned. "I can't allow you to go after him and get yourself killed, Itachi-kun," he almost snapped at the young ANBU captain. "The Uchiha Ichizoku would die out."

Itachi straightened and shook his head. "You have Sasuke to revive the Uchiha clan and keep the Sharingan from disappearing from Konoha," he argued. His face and black orbs were unreadable. "I...killed Shisui, Hokage-sama."

"The autopsy shows that Shisui-kun was drugged," Sandaime stated firmly. "You defended yourself and saw no other choice when faced with a mad shinobi!"

His hands clenched and if it hadn't been for the gloves he was wearing, his nails would have dug into his palms until blood was drawn. "And I have no doubt that Orochimaru had something to do with it as well. He was after me and murdered my entire clan...my mother and father." His eyes hardened. "He will come after Sasuke next."

The Sandaime found himself at a loss for words. Of course he had suspected that his former student had something to do with the drugging of Shisui so he went into a mindless, crazed state. Itachi spoke up before he could say anything to change his mind.

"Either I get sent after him or I defect to chase him, Hokage-sama." His words rang with truth and so Sandaime knew that the Uchiha would follow through with his threat.

"What will you have me do, Itachi-kun?" he asked with a sigh. He felt his years weigh more heavily on him in those moments then he had ever felt them.

"Let Sasuke...let the village think that I am the murderer of the Uchiha Ichizoku," he said. "Label me as a missing-nin and S-class criminal so that I may be able to go after him."

"You would let them all think you a cold-blooded killer?"

"For the sake of the village and those I have left that are important to me, I would drag my good name through the mud. I would request acceptance into the ranks of the nameless shinobi to serve my village to the utmost of my abilities and keep the Sharingan out of Orochimaru's hands."

The Hokage sighed wearily at the leaf-nin's words. "So, you wish to be Oinin and discard all that connects you with your name and identity as Uchiha Itachi?"

An emotion flickered behind his ebony orbs and then they turned into lifeless pools. "Hai, I do."

Sarutobi nodded and turned to look at Saru and Ushi. "This information is ranked S and is to never be spoken of again. Is that understood?"

Morino Ibiki and Sarutobi Asuma had varying opinions on the decision that had been made, but both nodded all the same. "Hai, Hokage-sama," they responded in unison.

Shortly after this meeting Second Seat was permanently disbanded. Ushi became the head of the Torture and Interrogation Squad, and Saru left Konoha and would later become one of the Twelve Guard Ninjas of Fire that protected the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni. Nezumi was labeled an S-class Nukenin as he became the Hunter Enenra. A few months later he became Uchiha Itachi once more and joined the organization, Akatsuki.

Since the defection of ANBU member Nezumi, the Zodiac Animals would no longer be passed down through the ranks and original names started to be used. The stain that the Rat had left on Konoha's elite would be a long time in washing off, but the teenager bore this burden for the sake of all he held dear.-

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**Translations:  
****Nezumi:** Rat  
**Ushi:** Ox  
**Saru:** Monkey  
**Hebi:** Snake  
**Usagi:** Rabbit  
**Inoshishi:** Boar  
**Tatsu:** Dragon  
**Inu:** Dog  
**Uma:** Horse  
**Tora:** Tiger  
**Hitsuji:** Sheep  
**Tori:** Rooster  
**Enenra:** a monster in Japanese mythology that is made of smoke.  
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_**End, Misconceptions.**_


End file.
